Our Providence
by LadyUni
Summary: Legacy of an Angel - 3: Arella claims the body of Sailor Universe and disappears. Her spontaneous nature as a guardian and her newfound duties as a warrior do not mix well, causing Ash to make the decision of a lifetime. X-over continues.
1. The Breath of Humanity

Greetings! Please, read the first two books of this series before proceeding, or prepare to be clueless throughout our next adventure. You can find their prologues as well as the one for this story linked in my profile.

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><p><em><strong>Book 3: Our Providence<strong>_

Chapter I  
><span>The Breath of Humanity<span>

I recall taking my time on the way home. There was certainly no rush as I was not particularly excited about relearning to live in my native world. School definitely didn't seem like something I could concentrate on after all that had transpired. As much as I wanted to see my family, there was so much uncertainty lingering in the back of my mind that the air seemed thick with it, and the sensation hindered what haste I may have had.

What would become of Arella? What would become of _me_?

The dark rift sealed shut one final time behind me, and the slender object in my left hand was gripped tighter. My eyes slowly shifted to the left and then right, wearily scanning the area. My body wouldn't move.

Forest.

The same one I'd left in my wake on the way to Hyrule.

The leaves were tinting orange and red and the humidity level was low. Apparently, I'd returned in autumn. Finally glancing down at the item in my hand, I frowned.

"I suppose I'll never get to utilize this…" I mused. It was a beautifully-crafted silver cross, composed of cylinder rods, nearly a foot and a half in length, and decorated with golden rails and beads. In the center, it bore a shining tomoye symbol…the Japanese mark for Universe. Just prior to my departure, Usagi had requested that the inner senshi assist her in creating a farewell gift. I'd tried to reason with her that I was grateful for the thought, but it truly wasn't necessary. What a vain attempt that had been…

The result had been a weapon only Sailor Universe could wield. And soon…I would no longer hold that title.

Lifting my head again, a heavy, drawn-out sigh escaped my lips and I began walking forward.

††††

The doorbell sounded an obnoxious three times in a row in the home of a small blonde woman, and her little dog began barking hysterically. Her brow furrowed as she put aside the magazine she'd been peacefully flipping through to stand and head towards the entrance of her home.

"What in the world… Pepper, cut it out," she told the mutt. Glancing through the peephole, she beheld a frantic young lady with an oddly vibrant get-up and brunette hair extending all the way to her knees.

Yeah. That was me. In one of the most awkward situations I've ever been in.

The woman opened her door and stared at me blankly. She wasn't even about to waste a breath asking what my deal was as it was certain I was bout to spill it anyway.

"Mrs. Bay…! Hi! I'm sorry, where's uh-" I took a breath, and man did it feel weird to be communicating in English again, "…where's Taryn?"

"I'm sorry…" she spoke with a suddenly perplexed expression, "do I know you?"

I froze. One quick glance at the ground reminded me that I was definitely not in a seventh grader's body…or even completely my own for that matter. Thinking further, I realized didn't even know what time period it was. Upon revisiting my home on the Air Force base, I found it changed. The backyard was fenced unlike how I left it, and my family was nowhere to be found. Without even stopping to check on how much time had passed, I'd made a mad dash for my best friend's place in hopes she could help me out. But her mother didn't even recognize me.

What a mess. I had to think of something quick.

"I'm a friend of your daughter's. I'm in town for only a little while and wanted to see if she was around."

"Where does she know you from?"

_**Damnit…**_

That's when I spotted a calendar through the door, clear on the other side of the house, hanging by the back door. My eyes narrowed in on the current date written in bold black over the stark, white page, and my legs almost failed me.

_**Two thousand nine?**_

I'd disappeared during the summer of two thousand two at twelve years old; that would mean my age, along with Taryn's, would then have to have been approximately nineteen or twenty. Which would mean we were…

"Are you alright?" the lady asked as the color started draining from my face.

"College…" I replied. "I met her at college." It was a flat lie and a lucky guess at Taryn's situation, but I didn't have much of a choice.

"Ah, ok. Do you have her number?"

_**So she **__is__** attending one… Wait…she has a number? I don't even have a phone! Or money!**_

Clutching my bag, I shook my head. "I recently got a new cell and have to find all my contacts again…" The lies were beginning to make my stomach churn.

"Got a pen and paper?"

Again I shook my head.

After another suspicious glance, she told me, "Alright…come in while I get it for you. The fall semester just began, so she's up at the university."

"Oh…she lives in a dorm?" I asked, stepping into the air conditioned home.

"Uhh…all freshman, sophomores, and juniors are required to live in the dorms. Do you not attend Trinity?"

_**Ack…!**_ Slipped.

"Well…no, we met uh…while I was touring the place…looking for colleges." Oh, how I could not WAIT to get the hell out of there. My flustered state was digging my hole far too deep for comfort.

As I waited for my friend's mother to get me the information, my mind continued to spin. _**I should try Mike and David's place next… Maybe I could use their phone…I definitely don't wanna bother this woman anymore. But the problem is convincing them of who I am…**_

Then, an idea struck me.

"Here you go."

I was handed a slip of paper with Taryn's phone number on it, and thanked her. "May I ask," I started, "about her best friend? Does she still live around here by any chance?"

"Who…Maddie?"

A sudden pain pricked at my chest at that, and my eye twitched slightly as my breath clipped. "U-Um…I thought her name was Ashleigh?"

"Oh! Her…I didn't know you knew her as well. She moved a long time ago," was the answer.

"I haven't met her. But Taryn's mentioned her…was I wrong about the...best friend part?"

"Well, you know, she moved right after their sixth grade year, and we haven't seen her since. So, Taryn's just got a new buddy to hang out with, that's all. She refers to Maddie as her best friend, but it's not as though Ash doesn't have a place in her heart."

I really couldn't take much more. "Oh, yeah? That makes sense. Where'd Ash get to?"

"The military moved her and her family to California. We still get letters sometimes, but… I'm sorry…I haven't gotten your name."

My heart skipped. _**They went…back to Cali…? Why…why would they send them there again… My name?**_

"Arella." _**I guess…**_ I extended my hand to her.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled, shaking my right hand with hers.

_**You already know me…**_

"Sorry for bothering you, Mrs. Bay. I'll be on my way now," I said, turning for the door. I didn't know which base my folks had been transferred to, but at least there were only so many in the state.

††††

As planned, I found my way over to my old neighborhood. I reached the house that belonged to two of my other dear old friends and stopped at the corner of the sidewalk. The essence of summer was still fading…and the sound of cicadas could still be heard in the distance.

The subdivision was silent. The dusk was setting in and it caused a heavy blanket of peace to surround all that was there. Even the birds were hushed. There were no little kids out playing on the streets on wagons and bikes, or climbing trees and making forts out of bushes, or annoying the old lady around the block.

My memories produced silhouettes of my childhood, and I began to see my younger self running around in a muddy dress with little boys, chasing them...laughing with them. Turning, I caught site of a gutter which disappeared under a footbridge. The faded figures of adventurous children fearlessly crawled through it and journeyed through to the main road on the other side…only to return with treasures of lost jewelry, stolen grapefruits, and bottles of fireflies. They took them and ran home to show their parents what they'd found in sheer delight. Visions of the middle-aged widow next door appeared as she set up a garage sale with her big, beautiful husky at her side. The kids stormed her yard as she welcomed them to set up a lemonade stand in her driveway…the boys with cookie crumbs all over their faces, and me…dressed up in some fancy costume with over-sized necklaces and a cowgirl hat on. A policeman stopped by and sampled the lemonade. I heard echoes of him asking what we were selling it for, and then I heard myself reply, 'I'm helping my parents raise money for a house!'

Then, I saw myself running across the street with a book in my hands, screaming, 'Guys, guys! Look what I got!' The cover read, 'Prima's Official Strategy Guide – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.' I watched until my memory disappeared into the house before me.

A shudder befell my shoulders, and my hand slowly rose to touch my cheek. It was moist. I don't know when I'd started crying, but it didn't matter. I didn't dare glance across the road to my old home. It was all becoming a bit torturous to deal with.

Making my way up the lawn, I came to the front door and knocked twice. After a few moments, a gentleman opened it and looked at me with an uncertain stare.

_**Is that the only way people can greet me these days…**_

But it bothered me more that the man wasn't who I was looking for. "I'm sorry…" I stated quietly, "the Moodys don't live here anymore, do they…"

"Uh, no…they don't. Can I help you?"

Well, he didn't seem like he would bite my head off if I asked anything of him, so I did. "Actually…would alright if I used your phone? I don't want to be a bother or anything…I haven't been around here in a long time, and I just need to contact a friend."

He didn't seem to mind. That's one thing I always loved about the folks in Texas. Much more hospitable than most. I was let inside and shown over to the kitchen where the phone was. Getting out Taryn's number, I picked up the receiver and quickly dialed. As the phone rang, I glanced over at the fridge, and a sudden flashback hit me of a photo the Moodys kept on their refrigerator door of Mike, David, Grayson, and me up in a tree. I quickly looked away and let out a shaken breath.

_**Come on…please answer…**_

"_Hello?"_

_**Oh my God…**_

"Taryn…" was all I could say at first.

"_This is she…may I ask who's calling?"_

I lightly bit my lip and stared at the wall in front of me. "This is…Ashleigh."

"_Ashleigh…?"_

"Brett."

"_OH! Dang, wow…what's up?"_

"Hey, uh…I'm in San Antonio. I wanted to see you, but have no idea where your college is."

"…_Are you serious?"_

It wasn't easy trying to apologize for the sudden notice, and lying that I had no intention of getting stuck in Texas after a cancelled connection flight out of Dallas. Eventually, I got her to give me her address and told her I'd be taking a cab to get there that evening.

Hanging up, I thanked the man living there for his kindness, and swiftly left the house. Of course there was no way I could get a taxi. I had no money whatsoever. Upon leaving the property, I looked up to see the home where I once lived with my family right across the way. Gritting my teeth, I took in a sharp breath and began running down the road in the opposite direction.

_**Focus…focus… God… where are you, ARELLA?**_

††††

As night fell, I barged into a grocery store and found a clerk nearby.

"Miss…miss, excuse me…" I called, thoroughly out of breath.

She asked me if I was alright, suspecting I'd been running from a perpetrator or something judging from my state. But when I asked her for directions to the other side of the city, she suddenly got the impression I was running from the law.

"May I ask what's goin' on?" she asked in a thick southern accent.

I would have loved it…just LOVED it if she'd have simply given me directions, but nothing seemed to want to go smoothly.

"I'm gonna be late for a friend's graduation party…can you please tell me how to get to Trinity University?" I showed her the paper with the address written on it.

After some reassurance, she promptly directed me over major highways and I paid specific attention to her landmark descriptions. Not a second after she finished, I thanked her and ran out the way I came in…which was not an exit, but hey…I was in a hurry. Taryn had said she'd be waiting outside for me, and I wasn't one to make people wait too long. Out in the parking lot, I stopped short. There was no way I could make it over there in a timely manner on foot.

A frustrated sigh left me as I looked around. My only cover was the night…there were no clouds, but luckily, there was also no moon. My single concern was the reflection of city lights. My feet began moving again and carried me to a dark crevice between buildings. My fist clenched around the Tenyo embedded in Universe's brooch which was clipped to my pants pocket. My head lifted to the sky as I became nervous and uncertain.

_**You've got to, Ash…if you're going to get through this, you've got to…**_

In the next moment, I took off…and as I flew passed by the roof tops of the surrounding stores, I knew there was no turning back.

††††

A bob of strawberry-blonde curls twirled about as the college girl glanced in the direction of a strange noise. The majority of students at the college had already vacated the front courtyard, and the night was growing uncomfortable to stand alone in. Any sort of random sound had her on her toes. Stepping away from the wall, she glanced around the corner.

I was just coming around when I looked up and saw her. Our eyes locked and I stopped moving.

"Oh, hi," she said, "Heard something back there, and wanted to make sure it wasn't my friend." She went back to leaning in her spot against the brick wall.

Fully clearing the corner, I continued to stare at her. It was rude, sure, but I simply couldn't believe what I was seeing. My hair was completely wind-blown, and I'm positive I looked like a total dork, yet caring was beyond me at that point.

She looked back over at me, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Yoooou okay? Anything I can help you wi-"

"Taryn…" I finally said.

"…You know me…?"

"You've gotten really pretty…"

"Woah, okay…uuuh…I don't…think I know you, and that was really creepy. What do you want?"

My heart sank, and with it, my expression. "I'm…Ashleigh…" My gaze trailed to the lamp post on my left as I waited for her denial.

There was a long moment of silence as she mulled that one over.

"You…you don't look that tall on Facebook…" was her quiet reply.

I looked up. "What's a face book?"

"Really? You being serious? Who are you, honestly?"

"I told you, I'm the Ashleigh you knew in sixth grade, there's just a lot I have to tell you still."

"Yeah. Right." Her arms were crossed, and her stance told me she was ready to take me out if necessary. Always so strong-spirited…it's one reason we always got along so well.

Keeping my frustration suppressed, I told her, "Back then…I nicknamed you Panny after we read countless Dragon Ball Z fan fictions and I said you looked like a super saiyan Pan. And one time at lunch…we were play-fighting and I accidently gave you a bloody nose over gushers. And in P.E. class…you'd always make fun of Claire and I playing our Sailor Moon games. But something happened after school ended that summer that's keeping me from remembering anything afterward. Please…you have to hear me out."

She was slowly shaking her head. "What the hell…" Certainly, those details were only shared by us, and it made no sense in her mind why some stranger would be randomly spouting them off.

"Look," I said more firmly after coming to terms with the fact that 'desperate times called for desperate measures', "the Ash you've known since then isn't the real one. She's a copy…"

"Okay, now you've-"

"Listen to me! Do you remember Sailor Universe? Tell me you do…"

"Uh, yeah, the REAL Ash talks about her all the time on Facebook, which is, by the way, an online social networking site. You'd know that if you were her."

_**What the hell has she been doing these last seven years…**_

"Wrong." I held up the brooch plain for her to see. "She's a being who stayed in my place when I left to awaken this power."

"What are you talking about?"

_**No turning back…none at all. **_The transformation wand was also brandished.

"Universe…Celestial Power…"

"Seriously about to get a cop over here…" She began looking around as if searching for a guard nearby.

"…Make-up."

An instant later, Taryn was standing stalk still, pressed against the bricks as I took the dive and summoned the sailor senshi to the front.

It all seemed incredibly surreal. There I was in my own homeland, breaking the barrier between what was supposedly fantasy and reality right before her eyes, and even I still had trouble coping with the fact.

Head bent, I reopened my eyes to take in the uniform. Yep…it was there alright…and I still wasn't dreaming. "Taryn…" I spoke, my voice begging her to listen, "I can't really expect any kind of cooperation out of you, but I'm begging you…please, let me explain myself. I need help…and I need you to believe." Finally, I reestablished eye contact.

I'd never seen such a horrified expression on her face, and it made my heart ache.

"Please…"

"Uh…whatever… Lose the get-up…I don't wanna be seen walkin' around with a Japanese freak or somethin'…"

She was pissed…but knew that meant she'd give me a shot. I was grateful. Finally, someone I could trust.

††††

"Keep it to a whisper. My roommate goes to bed early," the girl told me as we walked into her dorm room.

It was a small room…but nice. Complete with a bunk bed, two desks, an entertainment center, coffee table, microwave, fridge, and closets.

_**So this is what a dorm room looks like…**_

There was a dark lump on the top bunk and I figured that's where her roommate was sleeping.

After throwing her keys onto her bed and pulling up a chair, Taryn told me to sit while she grabbed a snack. "You hungry, or what…"

Oh, I was…definitely. Nothing a snack could cure, either, but I'd take anything. "I am…" A granola bar was tossed at me, which I gratefully caught.

After procuring a banana, my friend situated herself at the edge of her mattress and stared at me intently. "So…what the _fuck_…"

I told it to her straight. There was so need to beat around the bush or go into detail. "You know about my nightmares. I've told you I thought they were caused by demons, and I was right. You know Sailor Universe was brought about as a result…like my mind's defense mechanism, or a way of coping with them. What I didn't know was that it was the result of something deeper. Her image was put in my head by a freaking angel, Taryn. My guardian angel possessed my body, and I didn't even know it. She's what drew the demonic presence."

She stopped chewing and simply continued staring with an expression that scoffed, 'you're freaking joking, right…'

I took a deep breath and let it out harshly. I stood, spun the chair around, straddled it, and leaned my forehead against the backrest. I needed to cool my head before continuing.

"This…angel…is only a half angel. I know that sounds ridiculous...but trust me, they exist. And this one has the power to travel to different universes. She died a long time ago, but it wasn't her time…and so God used someone from a parallel universe that she'd previously visited to revive her. She used me to be reborn physically. The thing is…the person God used was a sailor senshi."

"You mean like one of those Sailor Moon people?"

"…Yes, Taryn." I mentally sighed at her phrasing. She never had been a fan of the series.

"You know this sounds like a goddamn fantasy movie, right? How the hell is that even possible?"

Another deep breath. I was doing everything I could not to go insane over that situation which seemed so incredibly unreal even after all I'd been through. "There are people in this world…with minds that can connect with alternate worlds. They don't know it, but their creative ideas are actually linked to the occurrences going on in other places."

"…I knew it," she whispered, turning her gaze to the window.

I let out a slight chuckle at that before continuing. "Anyway…due to the way she was revived, the angel inherited the powers of a sailor senshi." As I spoke, images from my journey with Pluto filtered back into my mind, and with them…all the emotions. Powerful visions of Arella overwhelmed my senses, and I looked to the ceiling with a hand running through my bangs to regain my composure. "She was to be called Sailor Universe for her unique ability as a soldier. That wasn't exactly why I thought I named her Universe, but what the hell did I know… Yet she's only a senshi in body. Her spirit is still that of a demiangel, so she's not really…one of them, y'know? And somehow, she separated herself from me in a different body back when I was twelve and told me to go awaken Universe on my own. I think she had it in mind that we would unite again once Universe had awakened and she wanted me to learn how to fight. But I don't think I want that…"

Taryn took another bite of her banana and asked, "So, where'd you go…?"

"Oh, uh…Hyrule."

Choking ensued.

I knocked over the chair as I rushed to strike my friend's back and get the food out of her throat. "Breathe, woman…" I told her, being cautious so as not to break her spine.

When she could finally breathe again, I sat down next to her on the bed and watched her safely swallow the mouthful of fruit. We heard her roommate stir up top, but luckily, she didn't waken.

"Son of a bitch…" she croaked.

"You okay?"

"You did not…I thought the angel was the one with the universal power…ability…thing or whatever…"

I raised a brow. "You really don't believe me, huh…even though she's technically a part of me…"

"I mean, why would you go _there_…for what reason?"

I shot her a quick look which told her, 'seriously…think about it.'

She was silent for a moment…then turned to me with a completely disgusted expression written all over her face. "You are the most pathetic…lovesick little fangirl I have ever met…"

Of course we won't go into her elaborate swooning sessions with the Prince of Persia and Gohan. At least she never seriously acted on those feelings … to my knowledge.

"Mm…" Leaning back, I let myself fall onto the covers and stretched my hands over my head, trying to relax. After that day…I was absolutely exhausted. But Taryn was still curious, and made certain I wouldn't fall asleep just then.

"So, you met him, huh?"

"Yeah…" And even then, I couldn't smile. "But I found out…that it's his fault…it's his fault completely that I'm here now…in this situation."

"Say…what…?"

"It turns out the angel…Arella…ended up in Hyrule when she was young, and her fate was entwined with his from then on."

Taryn swung her legs up into the bed and leaned against the post while staring out the window. "That's, uh…deep," she remarked.

"Mm…" I nodded, trying to fight the urge to pass out. "I'd rather not go into details…but…it was his fault she was killed. Not his intention, but I think once she was reborn, she stopped loving him because of it."

"Oh, she loved him?"

"Yeah…and I think that might be why I did at first sight."

"Which would mean she's still got a thing for him…wouldn't it?"

"Heh…maybe."

"So, what did you…do while you were there?"

A moment later, Taryn caught sight of a soft glow emerging from the corner of her eye and glanced over in my direction, "…HOLY…" and somehow managed to say that in a whisper.

I was holding up my right hand for her with the Triforce mark aglow…Din's portion brightly illuminated. "I screwed up…that's what."

All of a sudden, Taryn grabbed my wrist and looked my hand all over. She pressed her fingers against the mark, but it wouldn't disappear. Soon, she was shaking my hand vigorously, and then smacked it against the bed.

"Ow…! Ok…" I said, and pulled my abused limb out of her reach.

"Talk. NOW," she demanded ever bluntly.

Luckily, I had intended to. "Ocarina of Time was actually transpiring when I got there somehow. I went through it with him, and no thanks to my intrusion…not everything went as it was supposed to. He, uh…he almost bit it in the fight with Ganon. And I lost it." I paused a moment to stare at the mark, recalling what had happened. "I destroyed the guy before Zelda could seal him…and because of that, we couldn't go back in time or he'd be free again."

Her finger was pointed at me in sudden accusation, yet her tone was riddled with skepticism. "You…effin' killed Ganon…" There were so many things she wasn't ready to believe, and how on earth could I blame her…

The glow faded, and I sat upright. Removing my vest, I put it beside me on the bed. My shirt followed suit.

"Oh, we're stripping now, oka- shhhhit…" Her breath faltered.

Still on my shoulder, was the ghastly scar I'd received during the battle with the King of Evil. And it still looked like a painful mess even after all the time that had passed.

"It still hurts sometimes…especially when I think about what happened…or when I'm in close proximity to dark energy. And I feel bad…I didn't mean to ruin this body for Arella. She didn't say anything about it, though…"

"She didn't say…so, like…you've been in contact with her or something?"

I nodded. "Up until recently, anyway. She won't talk to me now…I don't know if something happened, or…if she's testing me, or what."

"You said she's the 'Ash' I know in this world now, right?" Taryn asked, using finger quotation gestures while saying my name.

Again, I nodded.

Taryn looked over at the clock on her desk. "It's ten…meaning it's only eight at night in California. She may be online, wanna check?"

My eyes slightly widened. "Definitely…"

My friend got up off the bed and went to go boot up her laptop computer. I waited patiently with my weary gaze glued to the floor. There was so much then in my world that I didn't know about. A lot could happen in seven years, and I had quite a bit of catching up to do. There was so much I wanted to ask, but I would hold of for a while and get situated before anything else. I had to find Arella.

As the light from her monitor lit up the dark room, Taryn spoke again, "Y'know…that doesn't make sense…"

"What doesn't?"

"You couldn't go back in time or he'd be free? He'd be free anyway even if she did seal him."

I looked up to her, confused. "…What?" I knew Taryn had always been somewhat of a gamer like myself, but I never thought she'd look so closely into details about the Legend of Zelda.

"The princess sent Link back in time to warn her younger self of the dangers of drawing the Master Sword so that they never would. Remember? At the end of the game he's still got his Triforce mark. He remembers everything…she doesn't. I read something a while ago that officially confirmed a split in Hyrule's timeline. The future, in which Link fought Ganon, somehow broke free of the past. So, Link disappeared to go seven years back and undo what he did…but the future continued as if Ganon was still sealed and his adventure had still transpired. All while he rebuilt the past with Zelda and started a new future. The two timelines then ran simultaneously."

"You…you're being serious…" I was nearly on the floor. My mind had been blown and my gut was wrenching with regret over not knowing all that sooner.

"Yeah…then they came out with two new games…the Wind Waker…which took place in the future timeline, and Twilight Princess…which took place in the past timeline. It's really weird, and doesn't make any sense, but hey...I didn't make it. I wonder if that would actually be happening in that world right now…"

My head began to hurt. "How…far in the future do those new games take place…?"

"Uh…I think it said…about a hundred years from Ocarina of Time."

_**Okay…we have time…**_

"I have to go back…" I whispered.

Taryn looked back at me with raised eyebrows. "Really…"

"I screwed shit up big time, Panny… I have to undo it…somehow…"

"Yeah, well to completely set it right, you'd have to revive Ganondorf."

My eye twitched at that. "Which is odd…apparently Miyamoto was seeing the future of Hyrule when he created these games. Ocarina of Time transpired in a game before I got there and went through it. Now, they're cranking out games_ that_ far into Hyrule's future…it's like I was meant to hear this from you and set things right before it could…actually happen for him to…create…"

We both sighed heavily at the implications and I lowered my head into my hands.

"I think I…liked it better when life was a tad bit more simple…"

"You're tellin' me… I still can't believe I'm freaking discussing shit like this with you. Hey, I'm on Facebook…"

"Is she on?"

"Hang on…"

I officially had a headache by then. As soon as I found Arella I was going to throttle her for putting me through such an ordeal, and then head back to the land I once thought only existed in a dream to spin it in the right direction.

"Yeah…! She is, come 'ere."

I hurried over to the desk and Taryn picked up the chair so I could sit. Once situated, she showed me how to open up the chat window to speak with a girl under my name. Next to the name was a small personal photo of a nineteen year-old brunette in college.

"…So, that's what I look like when I'm older…"

Taryn shot me an almost pitiful look. It wasn't really possible for her to know what I was feeling, but it must have been clear how difficult it was. "You should…start talking before she logs out."

"Yeah…" I began typing, realizing just how long it had truly been since I last used a computer.

"YOU!"

"_? Oh! Hi, Taryn. :)"_

"No. You bitch, this isn't Taryn."

"…_uh?"_

"Why did you lose contact with me? Do you know the hell I've been through? Never thought I'd see the day when my own guardian angel would abandon me."

"…"

"ARELLA! Where the hell are you? Answer me!"

"_Calm down…"_

"You're telling me to calm down…really?"

"_Did your trip teach you nothing…?"_

"Oh, it taught me shit alright…"

"_Watch your language."_

"You're talking like Adrana now."

"…_you saw her…"_

"In a vision Din produced of your past. YOUR past. I'm not the angel here, Arella. YOU are. And I want my body back. Sailor Universe is here as you wanted. Now get me home. I want to see my family."

"_Ok, for one, you ARE in your body, believe it or not. And I don't want you flying all the way out here on your own. We'll get you a plane ticket. Does Taryn have PayPal?"_

"…Pay what?"

"…_just ask her."_

I looked up to the blonde and she nodded with a slight smirk on her face.

"I still can't believe this…" she told me.

"Yeah… me either…"

"She does."

"_Alright, I'll send over about $600. That'll get you a ticket, some food, and a cab if you need it. Be sure to take the fastest route."_

"Thank you…but where are you getting this money…"

"_I have a job. Oh, by the way, I haven't lived with your family for about a year now."_

"Woah, woah, woah…"

"_Chill. I'm in college, that's natural. They live only about forty-five minutes away…your father is now retired from the military, and they're planning to move back to South Carolina, so…good luck with that."_

I slumped back into the chair in disbelief.

"_Ashleigh…thank you for what you've done. There's much we have to discuss when you get here. Let me speak with Taryn, please."_

I got up out of the chair, using the desk for support, and headed back over to the bed as Taryn sat down in front of the computer. I wanted to hit something…shatter something into a million pieces. My brain was on overdrive, and I couldn't process the new information fast enough. I fell onto the mattress…and as soon as my head hit the pillow…I was out.

††††

"Yeah, uh, well…having her in here is kinda freaky," said a rather sharp voice.

"She'll be leaving in a moment. Just trust me…she's an old friend of mine. We go way back, and she needed a little help last night 'cause…what can I say…can't hold her liquor. I couldn't let her drive home like that."

"Yeah, okay…"

The door closed.

My brow twitched and I rolled over under the covers to meet the light. "I was not drunk…" I mumbled.

"Oh, shut up. What was I supposed to say…'uh yeah she just got back from another universe and needed a place to crash'?" Taryn asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Yup…"

"Uh huh. Sure."

It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the daylight, and even longer for me to gather the energy to sit up. "Don't you have class or something…?"

"I'm skipping for today. We gotta get you outta here. Arella started the transaction, but it won't get to me for a few days, so I got you a ticket with my own cash."

A paper was dropped into my lap. "That's your boarding pass for Southwest Airlines. Your plane leaves at one this afternoon."

I picked up the paper and put it down by the bag on the floor. "What time is it…"

"Little after nine. You hungry?"

"Very."

I stayed in bed just staring at the pattern on the comforter as she fixed us both a breakfast of cereal. I heard her chuckle to herself. "What…?"

"Remember that time you got the 'midnight munchies'… and so I got you a bowl for cereal and you said it wasn't big enough? Then I got you a giant mixing bowl…filled it to the brim with Froot Loops and you ate the whole damn thing in under five minutes?"

I laughed with her then and nodded. "Hey, that's what happens when my blood sugar gets low. Interestingly enough, that doesn't happen with this body…"

"I still can't believe it…"

"What?" I asked as she handed me my regular sized bowl of frosted flakes.

"All this." She sat beside me as we ate.

"Hm… y'know…when I go back seven years in Hyrule, it'll affect this world, too. It was brought to my attention that if worlds can be connected, they are no longer separate universes. It's…really interesting. But…when I go back, we'll still be twelve year-olds."

"And none of what we're doing now will have ever happened… I won't have any recollection of it, and you will…" She lowered her bowl, thinking.

"…Unless we're like fricken Hyrule, and our timeline splits."

We looked at each other, and after a moment shook our heads in unison. "Nah!"

††††

My best friend offered to take a cab to the airport with me which I was grateful for. I certainly wasn't used to being on my own in that world. On the car ride over, she told me a few things about what all had transpired while I was gone. I silently wondered if it was okay for her to be telling me things that would soon be considered occurrences of the distant future. What a creepy idea. The driver must've thought we were nuts. She told me that Pluto was no longer a planet, which left me reeling in disbelief, and that Arella had gotten herself a boyfriend that she dated for two years and then dumped a year ago. After a while of that kind of conversation I told her to just stop. There was only so much I could handle at once.

At the San Antonio airport, we were about to say our good-byes when Taryn suddenly stopped short and cursed up a storm. When I asked her what was wrong, she replied, "You don't have an ID, do you…"

I slowly shook my head.

"Fuck…"

"Surely it's not that big of a deal…"

"Ash, ever since the nine-eleven attacks, airports have been nightmares. There's no bullshitting this one."

We were both silent a long moment as we stood on the sidewalk thinking. Suddenly, the cab driver got Taryn's attention and told her he couldn't park there much longer as it was only an unloading area.

"I'll figure it out, Panny, I've gotten through many seemingly impossible situations as it is. You've done enough already," I told her.

"Ash…" she sighed, "Alright. Here." She handed me a small wad of cash before pulling me into a hug. "Call me if you need anything. But I'm gonna ask a favor in return…"

"Anything."

"Tell me about everything once you go back in time. Trust me…I'd wanna know about this."

"Heh…" I smiled and pulled away. "I'll certainly try. Thanks, Taryn…"

"Yup. Love ya. Take care…!"

And with that, I walked away from my best bud to face the next insane challenge on my own.

††††

I followed the signs all the way to the security checkpoint and then just stood there watching people go through without getting in line myself. Right there at the front, they were checking boarding passes and IDs.

I slumped down onto a bench and continued to stare ahead while thinking about how to get through. Force would definitely not work as they certainly wouldn't let the plane leave if there was a criminal on board. I couldn't very well sneak by with all those people watching, and not to mention the cameras everywhere.

_**What a drag…**_ I thought._** I'll be reverting time back anyway, so I could just fly to Arella, it doesn't matter who sees me now. Wait a minute…**_

I looked down at my hand in sudden revelation.

"I have the freaking Triforce of Power…" In one, swift motion, I stood and hid behind a pillar away from the flow of people. Holding my right hand to my chest, I whispered, "Din…help me out here. I need to be unseen…"

The mark lit up suddenly, and I felt a warm wave of energy wash over me in the next moment. Looking up, I noticed a security camera not far from me. A black, glass dome covered the device, and as I stared at it, I couldn't see my reflection at all.

_**Did it work…? If so…that footage is gonna be so wacked up… **_I mentally chuckled.

But I had to be certain. The mark was still lit up, so I took that as a sign that something good was happening. To test my appearance, I placed myself right in the path of a man walking with a rolling suitcase in tow behind him.

He didn't stop…he didn't swerve…he didn't even blink. He just kept right on walking forward.

BAM!

_**Oh shiii…!**_

I stumbled out of the way just as he hit me straight on. I rolled onto the floor off to the side while he reeled from the impact.

"What the…FUCK!" he shouted.

There was a lady next to him asking what had happened; I took her to be his wife at the way she was talking. "Are you alright, honey?"

"SHIT. AUGH! What WAS that? Damn it!"

He was clearly flustered, and not taking it well at all. I watched in horror and slight amusement as a security guard approached him and asked him to calm down.

"This is why…I HATE airports! The most fucked up shit goes down, and I-"

"Sir, I said you need to settle it down…! If you don't comply, we're going to escort you off the premises. Understand that?" the guard reminded him.

"Honey, please…" the lady begged.

By then, everyone was staring.

"Don't _touch_ me! Y'all got some weird shit up in 'ere an' I _hate_ it!"

He just wouldn't stop and the situation went from bad to worse. I looked around and realized that no one noticed me on the floor. That's when I glanced over and saw a window that wasn't reflecting me at all like it was everyone else. Getting to my feet, I brushed myself off, and headed over to the security line, leaving the bad scene behind me.

_**That woman needs to grow a pair or something…and beat her husband when he gets like that…**_ I sighed.

Reaching the checkpoint, I stood in front of the employee checking IDs. He was half distracted by the commotion, but didn't even notice me there at all. He called for the next person in line, and that's when I slipped passed him to the conveyer belt where people were taking off their shoes and putting their stuff through the x-ray machine.

_**What the…**_

I noticed people were getting things like shampoo and toothpaste confiscated. Even water bottles!

_**What has this world turned in to…?**_

I heard them talking about possible explosive materials being inside fruits and things, and it just made me shake my head. It was sad indeed. Deciding I didn't want to walk through that hell, I levitated until I was above the scanners. Then, holding tightly to my bag, I floated across the way to the other side. But I didn't stop once I was clear of the checkpoint. I continued in the air until I came to a women's restroom and went inside, wondering the entire way why I couldn't just fly like that all the way to Cali. But I suppose it no longer mattered. Once I was safely in a stall, I landed and closed the door when no one was looking.

That's when I let Din's power fade.

A big grin spread across my face at what I'd just done. "YES!" I shouted, doing a little victory dance. I burst out of the stall to find a black woman at the sink just staring at me. I gave an awkward smile and a quick bow before running out of the bathroom.

The lady shook her head as she continued to wash her hands.

††††

I leaned my head against the plastic wall of the narrow cabin, staring contently out the oval glass from my window seat. It was right by the wing of the aircraft, which I enjoyed. The wingspan was so impressive, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it glide gracefully over the clouds. I silently wondered…if that cherub in the temple had spread its wings…how much larger it would be in comparison to that Boeing seven thirty-seven. I wished I could fly beside a plane someday. Unsure if I'd ever get the chance, I closed my eyes and began daydreaming…slowly drifting off to sleep.

††††

The next time I passed a security checkpoint was on my way out of the Sacramento airport. No IDs necessary for leaving…thank God. Stepping out onto an escalator headed for the first floor, I grabbed the railing for support and pressed against the side so those in a rush could easily slip by me. So many people in a hurry…it nearly made me feel like I was doing something wrong to be taking my time.

I was still groggy from the trip even though it wasn't nearly as long as some of the cross-country flights I'd taken in the past. It was a little awkward, though…I'd certainly never had a man hit on me like the guy across the aisle on that one. The new body was…definitely a new adventure. Wasn't sure if I liked it then or not. But it wouldn't matter soon…

Halfway down the escalator, I heard a familiar voice.

"When I sent you off, I didn't expect you to disappear for seven whole years…"

A small gasp sounded between my lips as I looked up to scan the crowd below. People of all sorts were standing there waiting for their loved ones to meet them from the terminal, so it was hard to spot such a short figure at first.

But then, I saw her. Or rather…I saw me.

Petite as ever, yet with a distinctly older face, far more defined and mature. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

When I reached the floor, I abandoned the escalator and slowly made my way over to where she was waiting for me by a thin, potted tree. There were so many things I wanted to say to her…to ask her…but I couldn't. I finally understood what she was, and the thought consumed my mind. So, I just stood there…stalk still and silent before her.

She did the same, but only for a moment. The next thing I knew, she was circling me like a hawk, looking me over as though I was some kind of potential fashion model or something. I felt her grab my hair and lightly run her fingers through it from behind.

"So…little miss sixth grader grew up… How're you liking the height?"

I glanced back at her briefly. "The height is nice…I'm not sure I like all the male attention, though…"

She chuckled. "And the hair? It's straightened a lot with all this weight."

"I suppose it's alright. Sometimes gets in the way when I'm fighting, though." Truth be told…I loved the hair the most. But it wasn't mine, and it'd have been a bad idea to get attached to it.

"Then why did you let it grow out?"

"I didn't really have a choice…it grew out when we were sealed in the Chamber of Sages. I guess I never cut it because it…grew on me." I turned to her with a smile over my own pun. But then, my expression fell. "And even that wouldn't have mattered, would it…since I was fated to take on a good handful of your previous characteristics…"

She pretended to not hear that last part. "Chamber of Sages? …It sounds like we have much to talk about."

"…Indeed."

††††

We took the bus back to her apartment as she didn't yet have a car of her own. I found out that she worked at a music store, and it made sense. I made a point to compliment her on her singing voice from her ancient life. She thanked me, and then added that my body made it harder for her to sing like that. That irritated me a bit, but I made no comment. Not much else was said on that ride. I was too busy staring out the window at that golden California state I hadn't seen since I was about eight years old.

Soon, I found it hard to keep my eyes open. A sudden peace washed over me as I confided in the fact that my guardian angel sat right there at my side, and before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep.

††††

As my breath clipped, the glass of water I held slid right through my fingers and hit the floor, bursting into a hundred pieces on impact. I will never forget the horror I felt in that moment when Arella told me she was no longer an angel.

She stared at the mess for a moment with a raised brow before glancing back up at my fear-ridden expression. "Your mother gave that to me, y'know…"

The sound of her voice was suddenly sharp in my ears and snapped something in me which caused my eyes to water as if I was about to cry. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't register anything she said after that. My heart pounded loudly against my chest as I choked back shouts of disbelief, and I couldn't find the words or the strength to question her.

It was like a floor had crumbled from under my feet, and with the support missing, I was falling into a dark abyss of doubt and fear. My guardian angel…had vanished?

I stared at the wall where she'd been leaning even after she moved to sweep up the shards of glass all over the kitchen floor. I couldn't move. Was she being serious? And if so, how in God's name was something of that nature even possible?

The broken glass was soon in the trash, and the remaining droplets of water were sopped up with a cloth before I made another sound. "Uh…" a nauseated breath left me before I gasped it back in, "I don't…understand…"

Arella wrung out the wet cloth over the sink and draped it over the cabinet door below before turning back to me. "Go sit," she told me, gesturing to the couch in the next room.

Clutching the hair that spilled over my shoulder with both hands, I obeyed her and claimed a corner of the sofa, pulling my knees up to my chest and staring at the floor. Not long after, I felt a slender hand caress my cheek and slide down to my chin to lift it upward.

As soon as my eyes met hers, she stated, "I know you don't want the life of a demiangel…"

I slowly shook my head.

"I sensed as much a long time ago. Listen…in order to form the flesh and blood you see before you, I used one of my sacred golden feathers. It gave me the power to create a perfect copy of you while maintaining my angelic abilities. I had every intention of becoming one with you again upon your return, but then your heart changed. I felt it before you even knew what you wanted." She paused a moment, taking in the overwhelmed look on my face. "You noticed I stopped speaking with you after a while?"

I nodded.

"For you…I destroyed the feather. For you, I made this body human. It could only happen in this vessel, a duplicate of the original, as a Celestial Seed will never dissipate within its original bearer. Universe is now the true demiangel. Once you learn how to spiritually connect with a human soul, we can transfer you to this body, and I'll resume my role as your guardian in yours." Arella squeezed my shoulder, her eyes ablaze with sincerity. "Consider it my thanks."

I sunk back into the couch and her hand slipped away. I felt numb. Information processing was shot…again, and I just wanted to shove everything out of my mind for that moment and rest. Being human again…

"Does it feel good…?" I asked her.

The question must have caught her off guard, for she drew back and hesitated a moment.

I wasn't looking at her, but my silence urged her to answer still.

"It is…" she started, "…relieving. However…"

Her pause caused me to stare back up in her direction.

"I will have no qualms with regaining the ability to protect others," she finished.

At that, I smiled…finally. "You were meant for it, Arella. Not me."

Her eyes averted to the window, a subtle smirk plastered on her face and a soft 'hmph' sounded in her throat. "You must be eager to see your parents. I'm not sure how we'll explain your uh…appearance, though."

At that, my smile fell. "Then I won't see them like this," I told her.

"Oh?" Arella turned back.

"There's actually one more thing I have to take care of before all this can be settled." I watched her cross her arms and give me an 'is-that-so' kind of look before explaining. "When I talked to Taryn yesterday, she gave me some information about Hyrule I hadn't thought of before. I need to go back and undo some childish mistakes…and revert time back seven years."

Again, I watched her expression change. That time it was to one of true surprise. Finally, she was the one at a loss for words.

With a deep breath, I stood. Arella's gaze rose with me as I looked back down on her from the taller form. Silently, we both went over what my statement meant. Everything I'd just gone through would have never happened, and we'd both still be of angelic status.

"It's not very easy to think about. I formed some intense bonds in Sailor Moon's reality…especially with Pluto…I…"

"Oh, you know that's not a planet any longer…"

"Yeah, I got that." I rolled my eyes, slightly shaking my head at the thought of what astronomers had done. That was one thing I hoped the Guardian of Time never found out about.

"Here's what we'll do…" the young woman told me, getting situated with the idea of my plan, "while we wait a while for the universe to stabilize before you open another rift, I'm going to fill you in on a few things that happened while you were away that I don't' want to forget. You're going to remember everything when you go back in time, and when I switch bodies with you, I will gain all of that back."

"Woah…"

"Yeah. And everything you've learned thus far will stay with you. Your mind is now a living treasure chest of memories, I hope you know. Take good care of it."

"I will."

"There's much we can get done in the meantime. I need to coach you on how to build portal frames and manipulate your spirit. We've got to somehow get in contact with Din again to let her know the situation and to prepare Hyrule for another visit; it'd be best to have a frame ready on the other side to-"

I put a finger to her lips to quiet her. Then, pulling away, I showed her the back of my right hand. "…She's already listening. And, Arella…before we do anything at all, I'm going to sleep. Jetlag really sucks."

She nodded and respectfully didn't say another word.

I grabbed my bag from the table and dug something out before heading back to the bedroom. Without a sound, I placed the object in her hand, and then took my leave.

Staring woefully down at the locket laying in her palm, the former demiangel furrowed her brow as reminiscence of the distant past crept slowly back into her mind.

††††

Over the next few weeks, in between work hours, Arella gave me lessons on all sorts of new tactics I was previously incapable of. She completely dropped college as it would soon become pointless, and only went to work so she could continue to pay bills and buy food.

I learned how to better manipulate material with extensions of my energy to repair and even build new things with existing substance. My healing abilities were enhanced, but she could not teach me telepathy as the Celestial Seed within Sailor Universe still hadn't completely awakened. Unfortunately, Arella could not practice any of it with me as she'd given up everything when the feather dissipated. At first, I wondered why she'd want to teach me any of it as she'd soon possess the body herself, but I then realized it was all still a part of conditioning the body for her use. The thought would have depressed me if I wasn't so eager to be human again.

All the while, the former demiangel went on and on about her experiences while I was gone. I didn't even want to hear most of it, partially because it was seemingly useless information about the typical process of growing up, but also because it was detailing bits of the future that I was not comfortable knowing.

"I got surgery on your foot."

"Woah…why?" I asked, suddenly alarmed.

"You screwed it up when you slammed it in that door, remember? It was still hurting me six years later."

It took me a while, but soon I remembered the painful experience. I must have flinched noticeably as she reassured me the pain vanished after they removed scar tissue from inside the big toe.

And then…I abruptly remembered, "Oooh…uh…sorry about the scar on this left shoulder…and on the forearm…and for twisting the ankle…" I stared at the wall out of the corner of my eye as I went down the list of injuries I'd unintentionally inflicted on her new body.

"The scars will disappear once you go back in time. The ankle…well we'll have to take care of it later."

I was sitting quietly on the couch as she folded laundry on the living room floor. It was very peaceful…and I had time to think again.

"Link was my first kiss…I guess I'll lose that, too, when I go back…but…"

"The both of you will still remember the experience." There was a hint of sharpness in her voice which I quickly picked up on.

"Do you really not love him anymore?" I knew I was treading on dangerous ground with that one, but it's something I'd been wondering about for a good while.

"You realized he remembers my past. I know you saw the hints. And yet he still chose you over me. All the more reason to forget about an idiot who lost control and got me killed."

_Very_…dangerous ground.

"Yeah, those hints…they're what told me he misses you."

"You know what…?" she shouted and threw a shirt down on the floor, "he can kiss my ass! I'm done with Hyrule. It's history."

I was silent. Yet I began to wonder if the portal incident was really what made her push him so far away from her heart.

"I had me a human boyfriend already, it was pretty interesting. Of course he was a Christian, and there was no immorality between us… But he was a young kid, and with me being however many hundreds of years old, it just didn't work out with the whole maturity thing." She was then hastily folding the remaining clothes in such a way that told me she was desperately trying to distract herself.

"Is that another reason why you became human?" I asked her almost blankly.

With a quick glance in my direction, she replied, "No," even though we both knew any relationship such as that was hopeless for a demiangel in the first place.

After a few more moments of silence, I grew restless.

"Arella…" I said, "how long do we really have to wait before opening another rift…?"

"Can't be certain."

"You mean there's no way to feel changes in the atmosphere or anything…?"

When she didn't respond I looked down to see what she was staring at. My eyes narrowed in at the object in her hand. "…Oops…" I mumbled.

I'd accidently kept my brooch clipped to the front pocket on my jeans when I threw them in the wash. By the looks of it, there wasn't a single scratch on it.

Arella was staring at it so intensely, I felt nearly invisible sitting nearby her on the sofa.

"You ok…?" I asked.

She turned it over in her hand and allowed the light pouring through the window behind her to gleam off the surface of the protruding crystal.

"I haven't really seen this since the day I met you in your mother's womb… It's just odd." She quickly unclipped it and tossed it over to me.

Catching it with both hands, I took my turn in staring at the Tenyo. I felt it meant much more to her than it ever would to me even though Universe had been my hope as a child. For to Arella…she was a second chance at life.

Finally, finishing up with her load, Arella placed each article of clothing neatly into a basket and set it aside before standing. "What do you want for dinner…" Dusting off her hands, she turned for the kitchen before something stopped her.

"Celestial…Power…"

She was caught off guard. "Wha-" Turning around, she caught sight of a familiar wand hovering before me.

A soft light lifted me off the couch in response to the subtle call.

The young woman put her hands on her hips in bewilderment during the transformation, and a look of slight frustration crossed her expression. "What are you doing…"

Dark auburn wisps of hair gently caressed my cheeks as the energy induced breeze settled again. I was lowered to the floor where my boots connected with the carpet in silence. My eyes were lowered to the subtle rays of light morphing across the floor in slow motion, and my arms fell limply at my sides.

"I can't wait around here any longer. It's tearing at my sanity."

"Ash-"

"I'm leaving."

††††

The oddity of a pretty suited solder traipsing across the busy streets of California didn't faze me in the slightest as I did just that. The world had essentially become a blur around me as the thought of going back in time rendered everything that was happening to be meaningless. I understood the dangers of peering too deeply into the future and wanted to separate myself from that time period as soon as possible. However, I also knew the dangers of opening a world portal too soon after the last, and the raging woman behind me reiterated that for me time and time again.

"Are you listening to me, young lady? Don't be foolish…get back to the apartment; it's not the time for this. Plus, you're drawing too much attention!"

I suddenly stopped dead in the middle of the crosswalk and turned to Arella who was still on the curb, fuming like an enraged mother. A gentleman, who was stopped at the light, stuck his head out the driver-side window of his truck to stare awkwardly at the two of us, but more prominently at my eccentric golden get-up.

"Let me fill you in on something I've learned, Arella…" I spoke with a solemn tone, looking her dead in the eyes, "in this body, you will no longer be just a guardian. This is the vessel of a warrior. And as it stands, a sailor soldier is intended to fight and be seen in the open. You _will_ draw attention. So, I suggest you get used to it."

She was about to say something in return when several horns sounded. The light had turned green, and I was then blocking the flow of traffic, much to everyone's irritation.

Arella mumbled something under her breath about Americans always being so pushy before I made my move to get out of the way. But my method was not something she agreed with in the slightest. She made to protest…but I was already off the ground and sailing towards the clouds, leaving no time for another word.

She was left standing, for a moment, at an intersection filled with even more honking cars over other cars that wouldn't move. Instead, the drivers found it more important to stare up at the sky and shout obscenities at what they saw. Finally, the frustrated young woman tore out across the road in between halted vehicles. She knew where I was going…and that I wasn't leaving quite yet.

††††

I touched down on the sandy shore of a river not far from Arella's college campus. It was a secluded area covered by a thicket of trees and high bushes. Huge paw prints covered the shoreline, indicating a family of coyotes lived nearby, but during the day, they hid from the people who came to the river for recreation.

A young couple sat on the little beach a few yards away, and I did my best to ignore the horrific stares I was receiving from them.

"Hi," I told them passively with a brief wave and a smile. But I didn't stick around for anything further, and walked off into the brush.

There were small paths winding through the woods beaten out by people and animals alike. I followed one to an obscure tree a little ways down the river. This particular tree grew a thick and twisted trunk with a large loop in it right by the water.

Before hand, as Arella was instructing me on the art of portal frame-making, I'd used my Pulsar Blade to turn the surrounding sand into hard glass and meld it to the insides of the loop of bark. Infused with my own energy, it created a sustainable structure for world passage.

Approaching my destination, I was slightly startled to see an old homeless man perched right in the center of the tree loop with a bottle of Sam Adams in hand. Judging by the many beer bottles scattered across the ground below him, I imagined he'd claimed the tree as his little…spot…or whatever homeless people call their living areas. I stopped short and stared at him, subtly shaking my head.

"Hehe…" he chuckled and issued a flirty kind of wave in my direction. "What's yer name?"

My expression turned to one of complete disinterest, and my left hand rose to caress the front of my forehead and the bridge of my nose as if a headache was developing. "Get outta here, man…" I told him roughly, closing my eyes.

I heard him awkwardly rise from his seat and saunter closer to me. "Now, wut…? Funny girl…and Halloween's not 'til next month 'nyways." He reached out with his forefinger and thumb to grab my chin.

But before he touched me, my own hand shot out and captured his nose in a death grip. Reopening my eyes, I found a dumb look of shock plastered on his dirty face, and my brow furrowed. "Trust me," I spat, "you don't wanna fuck with me right now."

In a single, swift movement, I boosted my energy to lift him off his feet and fling him, by the nose, onto the path a few good meters behind me.

His pained shout ended in coughs and grunts as he tried to raise himself back to his feet. Somehow, he was still clinging to that stupid beer bottle which he should have skipped on in order to buy food. But no…I could hold no sympathy for people who made those kinds of choices.

"And for the record," I stated as he began running away, "I don't celebrate Halloween." Never had…never would.

On his way out of the brush, the man passed the former demiangel who was nearly breathless from running. She slipped passed him and strode forward to see me brushing dirt off the glass frame and kicking bottles out of the way.

"You…!" she started. But all I heard after that was soft panting.

"You know you can't stop me," I mentioned, stepping back from the trunk to observe my working space.

"Yeah…so if the void collapses again, I'm going to group you with that Hylian bastard, and it's back to square one!"

"It's not going to collapse."

"And how do you know this?"

I didn't answer that one. Truth was, I simply wanted to get out of there. Ironic…considering how badly I'd wanted to get home just weeks before. But that really wasn't home…was it…?

My arms were extended towards the loop from a distance as I prepared to initiate energy flow, but something stopped me.

Arella suddenly stepped in front of me and slipped her locket around my neck.

"What the…" I stuttered.

"Give that back to him. It was a gift." She told me with sincerity in her gaze. "And one other thing… There's a certain message I want you to pass on."

After vividly relaying her message, the young woman stepped aside and let me work in peace.

She watched in silence as the sparks flew and I slowly slipped away. Her eyes trained on the portal like a lifeline as visions of her past slipped by her. I won't tell you what she was thinking then…but at that time, I'd never seen such a sorrowful look on her face.

* * *

><p>Many memories... See you in chapter 2 - and patience is appreciated.<p> 


	2. On Strings of Fate

Chapter II

On Strings of Fate

Pushing the stray wisps of hair from my face, I stepped out onto the smaller island gracing the waters of Hyrule's great lake. For the sake of ensuring her land's stability, Din had carved a passage way for the world portal to appear and seal in the same place Arella had prepared centuries before.

I was still for a moment as the vortex vanished in my wake yet again. I recall those days were growing long and weary for me. Although I had at last returned to the terrain of my escape, the surreal charisma it had held the first time was dissipating right along with my time as Sailor Universe. One would imagine I'd do everything possible to savor the fleeting moments. But instead, my heart was heavy with warped reality and yearned to taste the past again in all its sweet appeal.

Golden eyes shifted to the right and ran over the distant shore as I pondered where I might be found those days if I was the one known as the Hero of Time.

††††

Slow, yet resolute footsteps echoed throughout the halls of the grand castle, signaling my intrusion. Only a single guard had seen me thus far, but he had done nothing to stop me. He merely stared at me…perhaps in recognition, although I didn't linger for questioning.

Without realizing it, my feet carried me down a familiar corridor with decorated bedroom chamber doors lining the grey, stone walls. I stopped suddenly and took in a chilled breath as one door in particular caught my attention. I stared at it a moment in silence before slipping passed the room Arella had utilized for recovery. The entire way, I held in my breath as if I would completely lose it at the gruesome thought of her past if I didn't.

Once clear of the hall, I swung around the corner and pressed my back against the wall, carefully assessing the situation before me.

There were large double doors down the passage way to my right. There were no windows lining the walls there, and the potentially foreboding hall was lit with a few ornate torches. At the end, I could see two guards standing watch in front of the seemingly great chamber with spears in hand.

My curiosity peaked as I felt a familiar energy emitting from the room upon narrowed focus. And soon, I found myself wandering down the new corridor towards the guards.

The one on my left spoke first, "M'lady…I…we…weren't expecting to see you. Is the queen aware of your return?" He looked about ready to snap to the position of attention.

I shot him a bewildered glance before looking back to the giant, closed entryway in front of me.

_**Queen, huh…?**_

"…What's in here?" I asked, completely disregarding his question.

"Uh…" he started, awkwardly, "we keep the hero's blade locked away for safe keeping."

So, that's what I felt… "May I enter?"

"Well, um…" The man seemed uncertain before the second guard shook his head.

"We're under _very_ strict orders."

I looked over to the guard on my right to find him staring at something behind me. That's when I heard her…

"So, the Triforce of Power has returned. I thought I sensed your thieving presence," stated a poised, yet still bitter ruler of Hyrule.

My posture straightened to a bold stance as I returned my stare to the doors. Without turning, I told her, "I'm looking for Link."

"Well, you won't find him here."

"Perhaps you could tell me where…" my head cocked slightly to the side.

"Why? What sort of business could you possibly have left to carry out? You've already succeeded in damning my kingdom to-"

"I will also need his sword," I cut her off, finally turning around. When I caught her eyes, they told me an entire story in a mere instant. Contempt…sorrow…tragedy…betrayal. I'd seen that look in her eyes before. It was during the visions with Din after Link had become a rogue soldier. It was almost as though she was the same girl reborn.

Then, a thought struck me.

"You're not taking it," she told me sharply. "You've taken far too much already."

My brow furrowed in wonder as I took a step towards her. As expected, she stood her ground, but the guards were ever prepared to protect her if necessary. I heard them shift behind me, awaiting her command. To this day I'm still curious as to weather they thought they stood a chance against me after knowing what I had done to the King of Evil.

The crystal on my chest shimmered in the firelight as I took one more step forward, continuing to search her gaze.

_**Soon…it will end.**_

"Tell me…do you recall a knight by the name of Lord Silas…?"

Her expression changed to one of disgust. "Why ask me this?"

"Do you, or don't you?" I asked again.

"What is he to you?"

"Why can't you answer a simple question?" My tone was raised and flew sharply to stop her meaningless interrogation and return to my own. It worked.

"…He died when I was an infant during the civil war."

My gaze averted slightly left to the floor as I ran that over in my mind. _**He was alive again… **_"And he had a wife?"

Though hesitant, the queen answered, "She disappeared into the forest after her husband's death amidst the flames of battle. They never saw her again. But Silas is buried in Kakariko."

"She had a baby with her, didn't she…"

The guards looked at each other it utter wonder at what I could possibly be getting at.

"So the rumors say…" Zelda responded.

_**Lydia…**_

"Thank you. What became of Ganon's body?" I then inquired.

The girl raised her hands in question. "I beg your pardon, but do I _look_ like your lackey? Do not question me further. Return the Triforce piece and leave! This time, never to return."

"Oh, I plan on doing just that. But first you have to tell me where Ganon is."

"I refuse."

"Hm…" I nodded and slightly turned. "I look forward to the day when you'll no longer loathe me. Or rather…I look back."

Her mouth opened to speak again, but I had run out of patience. My left hand rose towards the doors and a sudden rupture of energy threw them open, shattering some kind of barrier spell in the process.

"No!" the young woman shouted, and lunged forward with her loyal guards.

My body slipped through their outstretched hands as I took to the air and backed into the chamber. "Forgive me, Zelda…I never meant for things to turn out this way."

Despite the soldiers' shouts and the sharp rebuke of the queen, my head turned to catch sight of the Master Sword, sheathed, and encased in a blue energy field atop an alter. It was the only light in the room.

††††

A bereft young man sat silently on the floor of his home, hunched over, and caught in a silent daze with his forehead resting heavily in one of his hands. A young girl slept peacefully in the bed across the room, clutching his old slingshot in her left hand like a treasure. Her shoulder-length, golden locks fell softly about her face and slightly stirred at each gentle breath she took. She was exhausted…yet at the same time, her expression was content.

The man's bright blue eyes would glance up now and then to check on the girl as she slept. Her small fairy partner perched silently on the sill beside her to also keep watch accompanied by a dim, green glow. Although…the little guardian fairy never did say much; not nearly as much as Navi did anyway. It was no wonder the girl felt lonely even with her pixie friend around.

A brown gauntlet fell to the floor as the young man stripped his left arm of the glove to look over the skin on the back of his hand. The Triforce mark was still there like a permanent, golden tattoo. The fading sun shining through the cracked window caused the symbol to sparkle…as if it was telling him that everything was alright despite his misfortunes. But then, it began to glow on its own…as if it was reacting to something. But he knew not what.

He quietly scoffed and lowered his hand to the floor, turning his head to the door beside him. Removing his other glove, he stood and parted the curtain hanging over the entrance to his wooden home.

"I'm going out, Meri…" he spoke, knowing full well she couldn't hear him.

Leaping from the terrace of the tree house, the young hero landed skillfully on his feet and headed for a familiar grove downstream. The gentle trickling of the creek somewhat eased his mind. There were no playful children about as they all prepared for bedtime on their own, so he wandered the Kokiri Forest alone.

Often those days, he sought the council of the Deku Tree Sprout in order to release the stressful tension in his heart and mind caused by complete loss of his past and the love of his life. He didn't feel that he belonged with the Hylians despite being one of them. He hardly knew most of them, and their ruler was a torn sage who pressured him to abandon any feelings he harbored towards the "alien girl" he'd met as a child. He felt as though no one understood him completely. And the only one he held close to him as his only potential family was Meri. She knew how he felt as she missed the same person he did. Her attachment to him had grown as they waited for that person's return together. Her innocent demeanor gave him peace as well as hope, and he took her under his wing in return. In his care, Meri learned the basics of fighting and hunting. At the death of the King of Evil, the Kokiri were permitted to leave the forest as Hyrule became a safer place. And throughout her journeys with the hero, the girl grew in knowledge and courage despite the fact that her physical body could not grow any older.

As the young man stepped into the Deku Tree's meadow, a shout pulled him from his thoughts.

"Link…!"

It was the sacred sprout calling to him.

And as he looked up…

my eyes rose to meet his from where I was standing in the valley beside a giant root of the deceased forest guardian. The golden steaks of iris danced on their own accord in the dim light of the woods as they met with the icy blue they'd so silently missed.

Link caught his breath again after a few subtle pants, and stood straight, staring at me in uncertainty.

Before him, was the young woman who'd left him in the fields seemingly far too long ago, in senshi attire…with the Master Sword at her side. He'd no idea what to make of it in that moment.

I couldn't blame him. And in that instant, I also couldn't speak. So many things were running through my head. How I loved him, how I despised him, and how Arella was in similar conflict over the same person.

But again… _**Soon, it will end.**_

Before I knew it, he began walking towards me.

"Be vigilant, Link, I sense hostility within her! But she won't talk to me!" the Deku Tree Sprout warned.

Link's eyes hovered over his councilor for a moment before staring back at me, never halting.

I turned to face him fully as he neared. The light from the sun was fading ever faster, but our eyes never seemed to lose their light in the darkening grove. I had thought that was only a trait of the demiangels, but…

Soon, I felt the heat of his body next to mine. So very close… He was not afraid.

"What are you doing, Ashleigh…" he whispered.

His lips were already within close proximity to mine, daring…but he did not touch. Our bodies remained completely apart despite being so near, and it was virtually mind-numbing.

My head rose under his, catering to the way I longed for him; my heart finally admitting to itself how much I'd missed him. But my mind was still focused, and it drew out my intentions.

"I have…a message…for you…" I quietly responded.

His brow furrowed.

A bight flash followed, and the Hylian was sent flying backwards into the ground several yards away.

"ENOUGH!" the new forest guardian shouted.

I was forcefully hoisted off the ground by a green light, and slammed against the dead bark of the ancient Deku Tree where I was restrained.

Link coughed and rolled over onto his side, raising himself up on an elbow to feel the blood seep down his chest. He breathed heavily and winced as he stared back up at me through those same intense eyes.

"Arella sends her regards," I spat before the sprout silenced me with a painful burst of energy.

Link's eyes widened and he scrambled to stand again. "Guardian, stop…!"

"Link…I cannot allow violence such as her display in these woods. You understand that!"

The blonde's eyes then turned to the sprout in an unusually pleading manner. "I _have_ to speak with her."

Slightly weakened, I stared down at him in tranquility. I'd relayed the worst if it, and released tension along with it. Even in those restricting bindings, in that moment, all was peaceful.

"Speak to her from there," the sprout ordered.

But no sooner had the words left the guardian did Link leave the ground and levitate up to my level with the ability I'd taught him prior.

"Boy, listen to me!" the Deku Tree Sprout called in vain.

"What do you know of her…" the man asked me, nearly breathless with apprehension.

I looked down to see blood soaking through his ripped tunic. My attack had seared his flesh, yet he seemed to be paying it no mind.

"I know…everything," I told him.

He slightly pulled back in alarm and frantically searched my eyes for answers. Was I the angel he'd lost after all? He didn't understand. But in a way, that was satisfying in my mind...after all he'd hidden from me.

"Why did you tell me you loved me…when you never told her?" I asked.

"I…" he stuttered. The question clearly threw him off guard. But then he came back with a question of his own, "Who are you?"

I took a breath and said, "You know who I am. My name is Ashleigh, and I'm from another world…specifically a planet called Earth. I'm an American. And consequentially I was at your side when Hyrule was saved from the clutches of Ganon."

"More like destroyed. Now, tell me who you really are and how you know Arella."

I decided to ignore his biased accusation. His gaze was stern, and as I stared back at him…I felt the truth rising in my throat to the point of bursting in a final bout of fury.

"I am her alter ego. I am the new body she was granted centuries after you got her killed. I am the extension of her desires and emotions, and I am the new power she is to use against the enemy. But I am not Arella. And I'm not the one you love. So why…the_ hell_ did you say that to me…"

"How long have you known…?"

"Tell me _why_, Link!"

"All I knew…was that you bore immense similarity to the girl I lost that day, and I didn't want to lose another special person. I felt…that it was fate's way of giving me a second chance, and I thought that if I told you that, it would keep us together. Would you honestly hold that against me?"

"I would. Because you don't love me."

"That's…not true!"

"Isn't it? You expect me to believe you could just forget about her that easily?"

"You don't understand!"

"Oh, but I do! You lead me on like some kind of play thing to get your fix when that woman never showed up again! But, Link, she's alive! And she lives with me in my world. Chew on that for a minute. What will you do? Will you try to find her and abandon me, or will you betray her? Again!"

"Ashleigh…"

"You think you've got it bad? I just found out that I'm nothing but a container my guardian angel used to revive herself, and everything I've ever dreamed about was merely a reflection of her mind! I thought I loved you, but it was her! It was all her! I thought I was living an ideal life, but it's all to clean up the giant mess you all made a few hundred years ago! I'm no angel, Link. I'm nothing. I'm only here to awaken Sailor Universe for her. And soon, I won't even bear the form you see before you because I'm about to turn it over to Arella so she can live on as intended."

"…What will happen to you?"

"I'll reclaim my humanity in the form of a little girl, and I will never return to Hyrule."

A fist crashed into the bark at my side as Link expressed pent frustration. His head was bent, and I couldn't see his eyes, but that was alright. I didn't really want to. Somehow, I had to start letting go.

"She still loves you…" I told him. "She doesn't want to say it…it tears her apart, but I can tell."

"It's because she knows we can't be together…"

I looked down at him.

"She must've let you come here thinking you'd turn my heart."

"…What?"

"Don't you get it? Demiangels can't be with mortals. She told me. If anything, she's pushing you on me so I'd forget her…"

I let out a sharp sigh in realization. "Well, it doesn't matter. This'll all end soon enough."

"Ash…" he said quietly and looked back up to catch my eyes with his. "I'm serious when I say I don't want to lose you. You and Arella brought a light into my life that I can't find anywhere else."

I slowly shook my head. "It's just not viable…"

"I won't believe it…" he whispered. Before I could rebuke his wishful thinking once again, he cut me off, "Just shut…the hell up."

All too quickly…

…soft lips were pressed against mine in a faintly desperate kiss. I was unable to pull back…being trapped against that tree. My mind tortured me with chaotic thoughts for only a moment before my body overpowered it and succumbed to his touch. My eyes slipped shut as his tongue invaded my mouth and silently screamed his desires.

Slowly, he pulled me from the tree, breaking the Deku Tree Sprout's hold. We floated there in silence, and the distance between us finally disappeared as his affection caught fire. His hands ran up my sides as he savored the feel of me on him, not knowing if or when he'd really have to give it up…again.

The kiss broke for an instant as he issued only a whisper onto my lips. "So, if you're not an angel…I won't have to hold back…"

My eyes widened as his right hand moved over my chest and grasped the Tenyo. A sudden cry burst from my throat as power escaped me unnaturally and gold and silver ribbons took the place of my uniform. The Master Sword, in turn, fell to the ground.

"But…this body isn't mine to spoil…" I whimpered as his hand caressed my thigh, pulling it up against the side of his waist.

With the other hand on my stomach, the young man pushed to arch me backward as his lips trailed over my neck. "Relax…I won't take advantage of you. The least you could do at this point…is allow me to show you how much I missed you. If you think you can capture my affectionate attention and then simply leave…you're a fool."

My head tilted back and I stared up at the night sky through a canopy of withering deku leaves. Uninvited emotion formed in reproach of my shameful state and escaped to the ground far below without consent. "But you _don't love me_…"

"Wrong. Arella may have left a mark on my heart, but that doesn't imply that what I feel for you isn't genuine. And if you truly are her reflection…how could I possibly love her without loving you? Tell me that…" He trailed kisses down the length of my neck…to the collar bone…to my chest. Both his hands traced up the sides of my legs to eventually caress my waist and pull me further into him. "You're not 'nothing', Ash…you're her second chance…and mine. I can't let you just leave…"

I lowered my head to his chest and lightly kissed the spot over his wound. Tiny sparks of gold flickered among the torn flesh, and the injury, along with his clothing, began to mend. Immediately following the subtle apology, I pushed myself from him and regained the form of the senshi.

Shaking my head, I told him, "And I can't let me stay…" and then lowered to retrieve the fallen blade.

††††

"They did _what_…?" I suddenly asked, halting before I stuffed yet another crammer into my mouth. It was the most delicious breakfast I'd gotten my hands on in a while, but the shock of what I'd just heard thoroughly interrupted my enjoyment of it nonetheless.

"He's sealed. Zelda had the sages lock the body in the Sacred Realm after you left for safe measures," Link reiterated.

Meri watched as I lowered my unfinished food and then glanced back up at the shocked expression plaguing my face.

"That's absolute bullshit!" I shouted, causing the girl to flinch. "There's no point! He's dead!"

"Don't look at me, it wasn't my decision. Why do you care so much?" the hero asked, continuing his own meal.

I took a deep breath and leaned against the wall of Link's Kokiri abode, letting out a sound sigh. "I came back to return the Triforce piece."

That's when Link stopped eating. "…The what?"

My brow furrowed as I stared in his direction. _**Zelda knew, but he…?**_

"You didn't see it, Link?" the girl piped up.

"See what?" he asked.

Meri looked over to me, and as soon as she caught my eye, she grabbed my wrist and held up the back of my right hand for Link to see.

As if on cue, his own mark lit up in unison with mine in reaction, and the Hylian promptly choked up whatever food was in his mouth.

"Great Din…!" he shouted in alarm.

"Yeah. Exactly," I said, pulling my hand from Meri. "Her essence has been with me this entire time."

"How?"

"Basically…killing Ganon was a stupid mistake on my part. The Triforce of Power transferred to me as a result, and yet, it was somehow fate's design…as that's how I learned of Arella's past. But now I'm obligated to hand it back over to that bastard so we can revert time and give Hyrule a new start. Make sense?"

I had to explain to an exceptionally perplexed Hylian just what had to be done and why in regards to going back seven years. But I was very careful to leave out the part where mere video games had spurred the situation. I described it more as 'talented people in my world who could sense the future of other worlds.' And their discoveries caused me to realize what I'd done. It seemed to be relieving and irritating him at the same time.

"And that's why you took the Master Sword. What…did Zelda just let you walk out?"

"Oh…no. They're actually looking for me right now."

He was on the hard-wood floor the next moment in disbelief. "Great…there's a criminal in my home."

Meri poked him on the head with a slight smile. "It's okay, though, right? If you go back in time again, no one will remember what happened but you."

"Well…and her," he told her, gesturing in my direction.

That brought up a question. "Where's Navi?" I asked, finishing the remainder of the crammer.

"With Saria," was his response.

My brow rose. "And that's…where?"

"Forest Temple. All the sages have retreated to their respective temples in order to keep evil at bay. Rauru remains in the Temple of Light with Ganon's body."

That got me to thinking, and a sudden plan began slowly formulating in my mind.

Meri was silent and stared at the wooden floor, slowly lowering herself to sit on it. Her knees were brought up to her face and she rested her forehead on them while hugging her legs tightly.

I glanced over, noticing her somber demeanor and asked her if she was alright. The Kokiri nodded, but her body language suggested otherwise. Squatting before her, I cupped her cheeks in my hands and had her look up at me. Such pretty eyes she had…but none ever seemed to outshine Link's it seemed.

"What's up…?" I asked again.

She averted her gaze and started, "Well…"

My right index and middle fingers 'walked' across her cheek until they reached her nose, and then I playfully pressed it like a button. The girl giggled, and I smiled at her in reassurance.

"You know you can tell me anything, right? Link and I are here for you."

"Will you always be, though?" she suddenly asked.

I was taken a bit aback. "What do you mean?"

"When…when you go back in time, I won't remember you either…and Link will be just the boy I sometimes play with across the way. Then all the things he's taught me so far will have been for nothing!"

Realization hit Link and I like a speeding train. We looked at each other in astonishment, hoping the other would hold some kind of solution to reassure the girl, but none came.

My hands fell from her face, and I lowered myself to a kneeling position in order to think.

"You're really worried about that?" I asked her. I knew she took a liking to us, but I didn't know just how much our friendship actually meant to her.

She nodded. "Please…if there's any way for me to remember-"

"There is," another voice said.

Our trio glanced towards the door to find a little blue orb of light with wings come flying in.

"Navi…!" Link exclaimed.

"Sorry, I overheard. The forest spirits love to gossip. But, anyway…simply take her with you when you travel back. She'll remember if she's among those standing around the Master Sword," was the fairy's explanation as she perched atop the Hylian's shoulder.

I stared at her. "But…is that…ethical? I mean…wouldn't it be going against the natural flow of things?"

"The first time the sword was drawn, the 'natural flow' was disrupted. This won't make a huge difference as long as she keeps quiet about what all has happened."

"Oh, I will!" Meri promised. "I'll do anything… You all are the closest thing I have to a family, you've just gotta understand…"

I returned my gaze to the girl, and that time, when our eyes locked, I felt her spirit. It may have been the Celestial Seed sealed in that guardian body of mine, but I could feel her sincerity. And there was even something more…something…like fate pulling at my heartstrings to sway in her favor.

My hand rose to let my fingers trail down the sleek locks of her freshly-brushed, blonde hair. "I'll still have to leave again, you know…" I told her, wondering if it would change anything.

But she did not falter. "I believe I will see you again," she told me just as earnestly.

Although my subconscious doubted her, her enthusiasm brought a smirk to my face. Somehow, she was relighting the fire in me that had been dying up to that point with the hope she'd never let go of. I then understood why Link kept her around.

_**She's strong…and somehow I'd forgotten she's probably hundreds of years old…**_

"Well, then…" I said, "there is something I must take care of before we can go back. Until then, keep training. It may come in handy later on."

"Yes!" the girl shouted and jumped up.

I watched in silence as she bolted out the door with Link's slingshot in hand. I nearly made it out the door myself when a warm hand caught my wrist…not harshly, but it wasn't gentle either.

"I'm coming with you," I heard Link say sharply.

I didn't turn when I responded, "Not for this part. The plan involves something only Din's power can accomplish."

That certainly didn't quell the frustration he was fighting to suppress. "You still think you can just leave us? I want to believe what Meri says…we _will_ see you again. And I know you can't just fall out of love; that isn't your forte."

That time, I glanced back. "I'm sure we all _want_ to believe Meri. And I'm not the one who loves you remember?" With that, I jerked my hand from him and continued toward the door.

But he wasn't finished. "Who're you fooling? You said yourself that you aren't her. Yet you made it clear how you felt." When I didn't respond, he asked something unrelated, "So, what _were_ you doing with the Deku Tree Sprout last night, anyway…?"

Just before I cleared the drapery in front of the entryway, I told him, "…Paying my respects to Lady Lydia."

Not even waiting a moment to let the thought sink in with him, I skipped straight to my game plan and how he could play a part later on.

††††

The afflicted queen stood steadfast in front of the Spiritual Stone altar within the Temple of Time with hundreds of loyal knights standing by. Her arms were crossed, and her blue eyes narrowed in on the massive front doors as she waited. A purple cloak cascaded heavily about her figure, signifying her absolute authority, but if you ask me…it only added sour flavor to her already pompous demeanor at that particular point in time.

Finally, the doors swung open, as if on their own accord, to reveal the person she'd been expecting. Still in senshi attire, I made my way down the lengthy, red carpet as if I'd taken no notice of the myriad of soldiers preparing to attack.

"I figured you'd come here…" she glowered, "but where is the sword?"

"In a place which doesn't allow violence. Ironic, no? Now have your pawns stand aside; I've business in the Sacred Realm." My tone was unforgiving, and my choice of words was not what I felt in my heart. I didn't see the Knights of Hyrule as mere pawns just as I didn't see my father as one as a serviceman in my own world. But I felt the need for severity to get the point across that I wasn't fooling around.

Her eyes widened. "What exactly are you intending?"

I stopped just before her as two guards blocked my path with polished spears. Not taking my eyes from hers, I lifted my right hand and brandished the mark. "I told you I'd return this."

"I don't understand…you're returning it to the Sacred Realm? What does the blade have to do with all this?" she asked.

I had no intention of explaining anything to her. It was pointless as it was, but she was definitely in my way…especially with all her men surrounding the gate to the other realm. "You'll see…" is what I finally came up with.

"Insufficient," she snapped and waved a hand.

Promptly, about ten knights charged to restrain me, shouting for me to remain where I was.

Yet, I backed up anyway. Still not taking my eyes from Zelda, I scoffed and shook my head. "What the _hell_ are you thinking…"

By a power completely separate from my own, the soldiers were thrown back at a rupture of energy emitting from my form. A red aura encompassed the area and caused Zelda's power to react in a sudden fury of light.

She grunted as her Triforce mark illuminated, and a light blue aura mingled with Din's life force. The queen was suddenly encased in a protective force field generated by the goddess Nayru.

"Damn you…" she hissed in my direction.

But I had already taken to the air and headed for the pedestal in the rear chamber.

The sound of men shouting blurred as I flew passed, dodging airborne weapons the entire way. Finally, reaching the place where the Master Sword once rested, I halted and drifted over the pedestal as the soldiers continued to attack. An arrow clipped my side as soon as I was still, and blood spurted out after it. But I couldn't afford to let it hinder me.

"Rauru…!" I suddenly called. "I know you can hear me! Open the gate!"

"Don't!" Zelda ordered as she made her way through the throng of knights, still encompassed by a shield. "As head of the sages, I demand the gate remain shut!"

Another arrow hit its mark and sunk into my right shoulder. I lurched backward in pain. "Zelda, this has to be done! If you want me to set things right, you _have_ to believe me!" I winced.

"You expect me to believe you? The little girl who ruined everything? Absurd!"

My frustration was then abruptly unleashed in another burst of Din's power. It was almost as though I was becoming addicted as I learned to use it better and better. That royal mess of a woman was lifted from the floor, away from her guards, and suspended high in the air a little ways from me. I was on her like lightning, tearing down her only means of protection with opposing red energy and stooped to using her as a shield myself. I'd be lying if I told you that felt no shame in that moment.

The attacks ceased instantly.

Much to her aversion, I gripped her hand and ran it over the blood trickling down my right shoulder until it was covered in crimson. "Why do you have to make this so difficult…"

"…S-Stop…!" she pleaded, detesting the hot feeling of my life on her fingers.

"You're not the only one who can play dirty, Your Highness. But this is critical. I need your cooperation."

At that, she spat in my face, and I turned just in time for the offence to land on my cheek.

"Wretch! You'll never know the pain you've caused this kingdom! And the torment you've inflicted upon the hero! How do you expect me to trust you with anything, you arrogant_ fool_?"

Turning back, I lifted her hand from my wound. She tried to pull away completely, but I wouldn't let her. "Tell me…" I started, "Did you hate me as a child?"

"What's that got to do with-"

"Did you…or didn't you…?"

Her face betrayed her conflicting thoughts in that moment, and I could tell she was contemplating lying to me.

"Just tell the truth," I urged.

"I…" she started, "…had no reason to…" I heard her nearly choke on the words as they came out. Her gaze was averted to the cold, stone walls around us.

But it soothed my spirit to hear that. To know the torn young queen could still utter words of civility to me granted a certain peace of mind that I clung to dearly. "Thank you…" I told her.

She slightly turned back to me…only to have the corner of her mouth graced with a gentle kiss. Subtle grunts of disgusts were heard below, yet went completely ignored. Her horror was evident in her expression, and when she struggled in my grasp, I pulled away.

Her eyes asked me why, and I responded, "…Tell Sheik that we're even. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Moving away from her, the triangle on my hand re-lit, and that time, coupled with my own energy.

Zelda watched me in silent aggravation, holding her bloodied hand over the spot I'd kissed. The act was not made in affection at or even out of revenge…but rather in true gratitude, and even apology. But she would never understand that.

"Sailor Universe…is what I'm called. And I am not bound by the borders of worlds…or dimensions."

The young woman was hurled into the arms of her men below just as powerful black fissure appeared in the air before me and swallowed my form. The Triforce of Power prevented any interference as my own ability opened the way into the next realm.

††††

Released from the confines of the dimensional portal, I stumbled onto a smooth, hard surface which I recognized instantly. I stared down at a platform in the shape of the Triforce, and the surrounding seven, colored medallion stands. Standing up straight, I stared up into the abyss, pondering on how to exit the Chamber of Sages.

"You've caused quite the uproar, child…" a male voice boomed throughout the Temple of Light.

I didn't have to ask to know who was speaking. "If I had my way, this would all go a lot smoother," I responded.

"What is your goal?"

"Where is the King of Evil…? I have something that belongs to him."

"…I can't allow you to do that."

I closed my eyes as a breath of frustration left me. "Not you, too."

"Are you betraying Hyrule? After all you've been through with the Hero of Time…we trusted you despite the misfortunes of our leader."

"Nothing I say will make you understand. And there's no easy way to put it. I made an unwise decision back then. All I'm trying to do is undo the idiocy which befell me when I lost control. Your future is at stake, and I'm going to secure it whether you believe me or not." There was a nagging thought in the back of my mind about how the timeline in that world would split, and even though we'd change the past…that future would continue forward as it was. The queen in that era would forever loathe me, and the tale of my 'treachery' would live on. The notion was painful. But I quelled the feelings with the reassurance that I had no other choice.

"What-"

"Forgive me." My words were soft and did not match the intensity of the power emitted in the next moment which sent me soaring upwards into the dark abyss of the temple.

I flew ever swiftly to avoid Rauru's sudden attempts to stop me. Obscure blocks of blue light raced towards me in all directions, causing the Triforce of Power to react in response to their opposing energy. Just before they hit, a jolt of lightning would soundly crack between me and the offense, deflecting the blocks which suddenly burst into a thousand tiny sparks. Silently, I wondered how I would even manage from then on without the Goddess of Power.

Finally, I caught a glimpse of intense light pouring into the chamber from the outside directly above me. Swerving nearly out of control by that point in evasion of continuous attacks, I kept my eyes glued to the exit. And as I moved in closer to it, however…I realized I was headed for a giant, faceted window made of horridly thick glass. But there was no other way. My destination was set.

"AUGH!" I gasped as my energy-laced figure smashed through the barrier, and lethal shards of glass mercilessly tore through flesh.

Rauru's light cubes suddenly took the form of humanoid minions and trailed me still even as I sprung out from the Temple of Light and into the open skies of the Sacred Realm.

Had I not been on the run, I'm certain I'd have stopped to marvel at my incredible surroundings in that place. Gold…everything seemed to be golden, from the land, to the structures, to the sky. I'd never seen anything like it, and never have since.

But one form below me was not a glimmering gold color, and it caught my eye.

"Ah…!"

There he was…the lifeless form of Ganon securely chained to four towering pillars in the front courtyard of the temple.

_**They fear him…even in death… **_

Just as a servant of light came down on me with an energized blade, I took a sudden dive and sped towards the dark body, just barely avoiding a gory impact with the weapon.

The moment my feet collided with the tile surface beside the dead pig, blood spattered in every direction, and a powerful red force field sprung up about my figure to seal off the area within the pillars. A minion in pursuit crashed into the perimeter of the red aura and exploded on impact. But I had not initiated the protection.

Nearly in shock, I stared up at the shield with wide-eyed confusion. "Din…?" Then, standing upright, I glanced at the warm glow growing over the back of my right hand.

All too abruptly, Rauru's voice echoed throughout the land, "You abuse the goddess's power in likeness with the vile beast before you, you _fool_! You're no different than the evil which cursed the land of Hyrule! Why have you done this to us…?"

Although false, his words cut deep into my spirit and betrayed a visible discomfort in my expression. Even so, I continued to stare intently at the emblem shining brightly upon my skin.

_**Din…**_ I mentally pleaded. _**Why are you helping me…?**_

My hand clenched into a fist as the deity respond directly to my thoughts.

"**Although this world faces continued peril at the tyrannical hand of this monster…you are acting as you must to restore balance; not only for this universe, but also for yours…despite the heavy implications. The cause has earned my approval."**

Stepping closer to the giant corpse, I grasped one of his horns with the hand bearing the mark of the Triforce.

"Cease this madness!"

I turned to witness the Sage of Light running towards me from the temple in a fit of panic.

As my gaze locked with his, the old man suddenly froze in his place, yet not by the act of any goddess. It was the manner in which I had turned to him.

Tears. Bright tears of reflected gold streaked the sweat-flecked surface of my cheeks despite the sincerity in my weary stare. The frustration was finally clear.

"Why…" he breathed.

In that last bitter moment, I turned from the old man and pressed my forehead against the jewel adorning the beast's. "I told you… Your future…" was my clipped response before bidding farewell to the Goddess of Power.

††††

The doors to the Temple of Time burst open once more as two other rebellious subjects dared to confront the Knights of Hyrule with a couple guardian fairies at their side.

A group of spear heads pointed threateningly at the chest of the Hero of Time despite his position, and the young girl at his side readied her slingshot. When a soldier moved to grab her, Link's renowned blade was drawn within an instant and positioned uncomfortably at the base of the man's throat.

"What is the meaning of this?" a commander shouted.

At that, Zelda's lowered head tilted to glance towards the entrance from where she somberly knelt in the rear chamber. "Who is it…?" she quietly asked the men directly at her side.

One at a time, the knights stepped aside to allow her a path of vision straight to the hero and his small companion. She could not speak at the sight.

As soon as Link saw her, his sword lowered immediately. His sharp eyes quickly analyzed her hunched form before registering the blood on her hand which she cradled close to her chest with the other.

"What happened…?" he shouted, thoughtlessly rendering how stressed he already was with his voice. As soon as he took a step forward, weapons were again shoved in his face, blocking his path.

"Let him through…" the queen ordered in somnolent tone.

Meri followed the Hylian closely as he ran down the hall and entered the place where he first laid eyes on the sacred blade he held. There, he found that his ruler was kneeling, not in solemnity, but in protection of the pedestal in which the Master Sword had once rested.

She looked up at him through a drained, yet powerful gaze which would never falter under the pressures of her duties; and at the same time, it silently pleaded with him to stand down. Link…had always been the one person she couldn't directly command.

But before any words were spoken, the young man took a knee and inspected her hand. "Did she actually hurt- …wait…" Before he could inquire of any foul play on my part, Link grasped Zelda's wrist and wiped some of the blood off onto his own hand, much to her protest.

The militia surrounding them grew on edge, and prepared to strike at the queen's first order. Meri, in turn, stood her ground in watch of them, daring any of them to misstep with her own fiery gaze and readied weapon.

After an uncomfortably silent moment, Link looked back up, his brow furrowed, and he firmly stated, "…This is not your blood."

Without even asking how he knew, the seventh sage threw the rest of her body over the pedestal and shouted, "I cannot allow you to carry out her wishes! She's an alien and a deceiver; she cannot be trusted no matter how you feel for her!" Tears threatened at the edges of her eyes, completely crushing her otherwise sturdy demeanor.

"Do you even know what she's planning?" he asked her.

Zelda hesitated. "Well…"

"Did you even _listen_ to her…? _Did you_?"

Meri glanced back at the hero as he stood again, silently bewildered that he was taking such a tone with the Queen of Hyrule.

"She wouldn't tell me much! …I questioned her…but she refused to explain herself completely," Zelda explained. She tore her gaze from the man and scowled at the floor beside her. If the situation wasn't bad enough, she then felt belittled and shamed by her own trusted hero.

Suddenly, the sound of a powerful crash consumed the chamber from above, accompanied by a flash of light. All present turned their attention upward to witness a dark rift tearing again through the air.

"No!" the queen screamed, clinging to the pedestal as if her life depended on it.

"Zelda, move!" Link shouted as the black hole grew wider and energy spewed from it in the form of thousands of small lightning strikes. He meant no disrespect, but her wishes were in direct conflict with what was best for the country, and he knew it.

"I refuse! She will not have her way with my kingdom!"

Golden light pierced through the dark void as I careened through the pathway between dimensions, soaring ever closer to the knight-filled chamber where Link waited to carry out his piece of the mission.

"_Zelda_!" he shouted again, just barely holding himself back from tearing her away from the stone.

Before she could issue another word, another voice desperately addressed the queen, "Your highness!"

Zelda turned to see Meri's frantic expression.

Dangerous winds and charges of light then overtook the room under the rift and signaled that time was running out. There's no telling what I would have done if the woman didn't remove herself from my way again. At that point, I was beyond mercy, and my sole focus was reverting the universe to the way it was meant to be.

"Queen Zelda, I beg you…Ashleigh has no intention of harming our world! She's trying to correct a mistake, and to do that, we have to go back seven years before it all started! You've gotta believe us!" the Kokiri shouted over the commotion.

Nearly breathless from the spiraling whirlwind, Zelda's uncertain gaze turned from the child back up to Link who was staring back down at her in stern sincerity. Then, abruptly, both of their Triforce marks sparked into a shining frenzy, causing them both to shield their eyes. The sudden voice of Nayru's wisdom whisked about them on the wind…but only Zelda could hear its divine echo.

"**The angel…**

…**fights for Hyrule."**

"…Angel?" the sage whispered.

Somehow, Link heard the queen's faint voice, and his eyes widened. But then…

"LINK!"

His eyes shot back up to finally catch a glimpse of my return.

"Prepare the sword!" I yelled as the vortex hurled me faster.

Glancing back down at Zelda, he found her then in a daze, unresponsive to what was happening about her. "Zelda, please listen to me!" he called again, but to no avail. In one, swift movement, he abruptly pushed her just off to the side with his hilt, striking up shouts from the soldiers. Then, brandishing his blade, the Hylian grabbed Meri by the arm, pulled her close, and prepared to reinsert the Master Sword into the pedestal with the queen still in the vicinity of the pedestal which would carry them to the past.

I saw this…and with a shrill cry, I begged, "SPARE HER!"

It was not a plea for her life. No…that was an appeal for her happiness.

Before Link reacted, a sudden blur came in between him and the overwhelmed maiden. Meri shrieked in shock as Impa grabbed the royal sage and darted off the platform.

Not a moment later, a ruthless column of lightning threw me at the hero's side, and as the rift collapsed in a frenzy of thunder and wind, Link brought the Master Sword point-down into the pedestal with a vigorous shout.

Just as the blade's power activated, my bloodied arm reached into Link's pocket and seized the Ocarina of Time. Hurling it at Impa, the shadow sage caught it skillfully, and that's when I shouted, "Zelda, your power combined with the Master Sword can send us back to before you sent Link on his journey! If you truly care for Hyrule, help us undo the madness from the very beginning!"

She stared at me, still unresponsive. Impa handed her the instrument to encourage her, but did not say a single word on the matter.

Meri clung securely to both Link and me and shut her eyes tightly as the blue light ascended from the stone floor below us. Her guardian fairy, accompanied by Navi, huddled under Link's hat to ensure its own protection.

Zelda, ever still and silent, watched from the confines of her loyal attendant's firm hold as Link caught my eyes with his. The surrounding illumination stole us from her sight before long…and her head slowly lowered as she gave in to Nayru's soft whispers of reassurance.

I stared back at the man beside me calmly despite the rapidly shifting atmosphere. My heart beat loudly against my ears as time escaped us. And the only thing I could think about in that fleeting moment…was how everything we'd gone through…every goal, every hardship, every trial, every triumph…every tear, every smile, every laugh, every pain…would vanish and be lost forever only to remain in our memories…tormenting us every waking moment as a false reality.

Reaching up, I quickly grasped the collar of his tunic and pulled him into one final kiss just as our world fell into darkness.

††††

"_Have you awakened the senshi yet? I can't tell what's going on anymore, Ash, talk to me…"_

There was pain…pain in my head, and my arm. It spread throughout my body like a disease. My lips…they were damp. Why were they damp…? My right index finger flinched. It was so dark…and so hard to move. Breath seeped in through my teeth as more of my fingers dared to budge under the pressure.

"_Ash, can you hear me? Answer!"_

_**I hear you, Arella…**_ I mentally uttered. But I felt weak and could not register why.

"_What's happening…? My ability to contact you keeps fluctuating, and I don't understand it."_

_**I…**_

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden gasp from near where I lay. It spurred my eyelids to finally part slightly and let in the dim light of a silent Temple of Time. The first thing I beheld was the Master Sword towering above me, shining brightly in its resting place. I stared at it for the longest moment as my bearing was reconstructed. Then, slowly turning my head, my eyes fell on the two blonde children beside me, both staring with horror apparent in their young, blue eyes.

I didn't know what to say. Their expression made me afraid to do anything at all.

"Ashleigh-san…" the girl started, breaking the deafening silence around us.

I went to respond, "Ye-…" but then soundly gasped and shot into a sitting position, immediately causing my head to spin.

At seeing my reaction, the ten year-old boy firmly grasped my shoulders in attempt to steady me.

My panting slowed as his solid gaze gradually secured my own and I was able to refocus. But as soon as I was able, my eyes averted to my feet splayed out in front of me…adorned with long, golden boots with silver tips bearing gold crosses. I brought my hands up to examine them as well, then my hair, and then…I pulled my collar aside to see the ugly scar still embedded in my left shoulder.

_**What the hell…**_

Slowly and cautiously, I stood. I rose higher, and higher until I reached the final height of five feet and eight inches opposed to the four feet and eleven inches I was expecting. Staring down at the senshi attire and fully-grown adult body, my control completely shattered.

"WHAT IS THIS?" My hands shot up to my head and fists were clenched in the thick, brunette locks as I cried in anguish. "Why am I not a child? Where did I go wrong? The scars! The scars are still there!"

"Ashleigh…!" Link called out. But I wouldn't…couldn't hear him.

"This can't real; I must be dreaming again!"

Meri watched in horror as I stumbled down the stone steps of the platform and rammed myself into the opposite wall again and again.

"Wake! Up! Someone…wake…me…up!" My right fist connected with the stone in a final bout of hysteria and I caught a glimpse of the faintest mark of the Triforce still burned onto my hand. Then, with a deep breath I cried, "Din!"

But she was no longer there.

††††

A quiet, gentle afternoon breeze laced itself through the tall trees of the castle courtyard and down across the blue waters of the moat. It found its way passed the light fabrics of a young girl's skirt, and softly rippled across them as she stared intently through a low window into the throne room. Her azure irises watched the every move of a dark figure as he spoke with her father for hours in that place. He wouldn't leave…

…oh how she wished he would leave.

The sound of footsteps in the grassy meadow behind her caused her to spin around in sudden alert. "Who…?" she exclaimed when she beheld the young boy in green. "Who are you? How did you get passed the guards?" But upon closer inspection, realization suddenly hit her. "Oh!"

He simply stared at her, unmoving and expressionless. And yet, he silently thanked the goddesses that the Zelda of the future had helped them return to that time period in the end.

"You're that boy from the market!"

When he simply nodded, the girl seemed confused.

"Are you not surprised…to find out that I am Princess Zelda?" she asked.

Slowly, Link tilted his head to the sky and took in a slow breath. "How many times…" he whispered to himself, "must I start over because of that woman…?"

"What? Hey, wasn't there a fairy with you before…and a girl?"

The boy's eyes snapped shut as he winced at her mention of Navi and me. He regained his composure quickly, however, and refocused on the girl atop the terrace. "They had things to take care of," he told her.

"Oh, I see. Well, I apologize; I never got your names before!"

At that, the young warrior began walking up the steps to meet the little princess face-to-face. All the while, he never took his eyes from hers. "Call me Link. My fairy partner was Navi…faithful, wise, and caring. And that girl…" he stopped a few feet away from her.

Zelda's expression slowly fell as she looked into the eyes of that boy. Though bright, they were not innocent, nor were they young. And deep inside, they told a terrible tale of war and tragedy and loss; very unlike how she remembered them from earlier when they played together in the marketplace.

"That…girl?" she urged, curiously.

There was no reason to hide the truth. "She is a reincarnation of someone very important to me. I call her Sakura."

Zelda didn't know how to react to that one. Her brow furrowed in bewilderment, and she grew increasingly uncomfortable with his odd behavior.

Suddenly, Link took a knee and bowed low before the princess in sincere reverence. In his next few breaths, he poured his soul out into the open for her to hear. "Your highness, I come bearing news from the future. You are about to send me on a mission to obtain the Spiritual Stones, the Master Sword, and eventually the Triforce. Because I am still young, my body will be sealed inside the Sacred Realm for seven years until I am fit to become a hero. An because of that, the gate to the Sacred Realm will remain wide open for the King of Evil, Ganondorf of the Gerudo thieves, to enter and claim the Triforce for himself. It will split into three parts as his heart is not worthy of claiming all three pieces. He'll obtain the power, you will be granted the wisdom, and I'll receive the courage. Hyrule will be plunged into darkness, and you will flee for your life as your kingdom falls to ruin. Sakura underwent significant changes seven years in the future, and when we came back to correct our mistakes, she was unable to revert back to her younger self. She is currently trapped in an elder warrior's body. As for Navi…my partner has acknowledged the completion of my journey and parted ways with me. I beseech you not to allow for the future I've described to you. Keep the Master Sword where it lays in peace, guarding the next realm, for you cannot possibly fathom the horrors which will be unleashed if you don't."

The manner in which he spoke was well beyond his years, that much was certain, and his knowledge of her intentions was spot on. But the young Princess Zelda still had yet to be convinced. An expression of complete disorientation was plastered on her face, as she tried desperately to respond.

"I…how…can I know this is the truth…?" she inquired.

Raising his head to her, the boy replied by offering her his downturned left hand.

After a slight hesitation, the girl cupped his hand with both of hers and stared down at it. At first glance, there was nothing. But then, as he shifted his wrist, an unnatural glimmer in the shape of the Triforce panned across his skin. She gasped and let go of him in surprise.

Link stood, and nodded. "I trust you understand now…the burden I will carry for the rest of my life." When she merely stared back at him in silent remorse, he continued, "Sakura has gone to the Gerudo Valley to await Ganondorf's return. Her plan is to deter him from pursuing the Triforce for as long as possible. And then…she will leave Hyrule." The boy paused, and then told the princess one last thing before leaving, "You don't know this…but I took a solemn oath in a distant past to never abandon you or this world. I intend to keep that promise. But I hope you will understand…if someday I will feel the need to go after the ones I care about. The truth is…at this point…I can't see myself going on without them anymore."

††††

The red evening brought hot air through the small, square windows of Gerudo Fortress with only a limited amount of warm light. Soft taps were heard in the darkening room as my right boot lightly connected with the floor time and time again to appease my anxiety. My bloodied arm fell limply at my side, bandaged, as I sat atop a throne of brick, no doubt styled to match the surrounding stone stronghold. It had taken Link and Meri a great deal to finally calm me from my state of panic. Nothing was clear as to why I had maintained the body of an adult, but it was too late to go back. And I continued to deal with the pain of a torn figure as best I could.

The chamber I waited in was quite massive, and furnished lit torches ran all down the corridor which gave off an ominous aura.

Muffled cries were heard from my left as a young Gerudo woman struggled against the shackles I had bound her in. My golden gaze shifted in her direction to see her seething at me through her own face veil which I'd gagged her with.

"I asked you nicely to cooperate, didn't I? Why are you so angry when you brought this upon yourself…? What was your name again…uh…" I thought for a moment, "Aveil? Don't worry, your 'king in dark armor' will arrive soon, and once I beat the shit out of 'im you can go free."

She stopped struggling and simply stared at me in silent wonder if I had lost my mind.

Well, perhaps at that point…I had.

A deep rumbling was heard down the hall as a heavy metal door opened and slammed shut. My eyes narrowed down the corridor once we could hear the familiar, menacing laughter filter through the darkening passageway.

"What a naïve fool, that King of Hyrule…! Such weak ignorance doesn't deserve so much power over the realm…" we heard.

I released a burst of the senshi's energy and watched the surrounding torches flicker about in response. Immediately, the laughing ceased.

_**That's right…now come find me…**_

The event that followed…was like a scene from a nightmare. Every flame in that place suddenly went out, and the next thing I knew, a massive dark form with blazing red eyes was flying at me in an inhumanly twisted manner.

But I was prepared. Leaping from my position on the throne, I flipped forward through the air just as the enemy crashed into the brick and obliterated his own property.

Aveil screamed as flying debris pelted her corner of the room with unforgiving speed.

It didn't take the man long to recover, and he was soon back on my trail with merciless hate in his wake.

"Who _dares_ taunt me in my own domain?" he shouted as a fist laced with dark energy chased my every move.

Weaving around his rapid punches, I contemplated my answer. At that point in time, I had never met him…regardless of how the scar on my shoulder screamed otherwise. It was maddening…yet at the same time, I felt empowered to know I was capable of overcoming him in a stronger form. But that was not my goal that evening. Swooping below another close punch, my heel sharply impacted with the armor covering the man's gut, cracking it, and sending him straight into the wall behind.

Landing back on the floor, I let my hair settle down about my shoulders before speaking. He was already getting up again, but it didn't matter.

"I am the holder of the Triforce."

An absolute boldfaced lie, but I was already accustomed to bluffing the midst of that monster. And yet, like the last time, he wasn't easily fooled.

"HAHAHA…! And I'm the Great Fairy of Magic!" he scoffed, wiping a stream of blood from his face.

Suddenly, a speeding orb of energy was released in my direction which I made a sure point to avert with my right hand before brandishing the shimmering mark Din had left on the back of it.

Once Ganondorf set eyes on that, he froze. He didn't know much about the attributes of a Triforce holder at that point…but that mark was most certainly a part of the legend.

Beads of sweat slipped down Aveil's forehead as she watched her master hesitate. It was undoubtedly not of his character, and the fact made her exceedingly uneasy.

"You lost, Ganondorf… I've already claimed the power you seek. There is nothing left for you. And if you so much as lay a finger upon the king's land with ill intent…I'll ensure the goddesses silence you for all time. Do I make myself clear…"

His expression darkened, teeth bared, and eyes burned with an anger blazing out of control. Power-infused fists clenched to such a degree, hot blood seeped from his palms and dripped onto the stone flooring below. "You worthless bitch..." he spat. "All that's needed now is that I kill you. And the Triforce will be mine."

"Heh…" I smirked, "if you can."

The brawl continued, and his movements noticeably quickened. I took to the air and retaliated with my own energy attacks, only to be countered by his. Proving I had the Triforce would not be easy at that rate. At one point, he snagged my hair and I was slammed into the ground. Immediately, he was on me, bearing down with a dark power which threatened to choke out my light. I unleashed a pulsar blade at his face which he dodged and landed a blow to my own with one of his bloody, hellish fists. I stifled a cry which would have slaughtered my steady front from before, and then sent a powerful kick back into his gut, sending the brute sailing over my head. But he was on me again so fast, I hardly had time to react. My arm and right rib suffered substantial damage as I was grabbed, smashed into a wall and then beaten down with a powerful assault of energy.

"Raugh!" I shouted as I tore out of his range. Bleeding and in pain, I began to pray.

_**I could run away and be done with this place forever…but my conscience won't allow that. I must succeed for the sake of those I owe. God, please grant me the strength one more time! **_

As I flung another energy offence, the enemy swerved around it and grabbed my outstretched wrist, swinging me into another wall. But just before the collision, the mark on my hand burst into light and the evil king was abruptly repelled.

_**Impossible…!**_

"**My parting gift to you, young flower. May this energy serve you well even in your trials beyond this realm."**

_**Din!**_

White light engulfed my form and Sailor Universe suddenly dissipated into the "final endowment" which the Goddess of Power had granted me back in the presence of Sailor Moon. The Tenyo's vitality was rejuvenated, and as a result, my fresh wounds inflicted by the enemy and Zelda's men began to dissipate.

Soon, the princess of gold hovered before the King of Evil, bathing the dark chamber in the purest celestial light that world had to offer.

Repulsed by the energy, Ganondorf made to douse it by countering with his own. A black aura swarmed about the room, nearly suffocating Aveil in her trapped state by the wall. But I wouldn't succumb to the offense. In order to take it down, I summoned the divine force which emitted from deep within me in the form of a Reiki Light Stream. Throwing out my hands before me to form a triangle aimed at the source of the darkness, the Tenyo materialized over my chest and readied the attack.

"Compliments of Din…" I uttered. Then, just before his death-like aura consumed my fighting light, the crystal fired a beam straight through the blackness.

A penetrating cry could be heard throughout the valley as Ganondorf's body caved under the Tenyo's influence. His body crumbled to the floor in agony and intolerance for the highly contrasting dosage of energy inside his being.

Gathering up my skirt, I sprinted to the fallen sword which Aveil had used against me earlier and picked it up. Before the Gerudo king could rise, my heel connected with his shoulder, kicking him over onto his back, and then the blade was infused with another spell of my life force before I plunged it headlong into his shoulder, pinning him to the floor. Blood spewed up onto my form before I could recoil.

As he lay there shouting in pain and unrivaled anger, I departed. Hurling out one of the many small open windows, I took flight and soared into the aging night.

††††

A gentle hand rested atop Link's back in silent care as he stared solemnly out at the stars from the terrace of his Kokiri abode. Meri watched him without a word as she feared any sound would upset him in that perfectly quiet evening. He gripped the railing before him tightly as he fought back the urge to fly off in search of me. The feeling of emptiness in his heart was already eating at his sanity, and he wondered if it had anything to do with his younger, weaker body.

Suddenly, he beheld a star soaring across the sky in a fashion very unlike a standard shooting star. It curved in his direction and shined mysteriously brightly. As he watched it, a sudden golden spark descended from it and fell directly above him. Stretching out his hands, he caught the falling object in mid air, and brought it closer to inspect.

That time, Meri's eyes widened and she spoke, "Did…that locket seriously just fall from…" Glancing up, she watched as the "shooting star" swiftly disappeared into a rift of black without a trace. "Th-that was…!"

But she couldn't finish. One look back at the Hylian silenced her for good that night.

The boy was on his knees, one hand on the railing, the other with the locket tightly in his grasp. And for the first time in all her life…she saw him cry.

* * *

><p>And here we are about 8 months later with chapter 2... I'm not entirely satisfied with it - probably because I'm officially bored with Hyrule and can't wait to get into the deeper stuff with Uni. :)<p> 


	3. Separation

Chapter III

Separation

The obscure blue and gold outfit from the parallel Tokyo was a thing of the past. Or perhaps a false memory. I hadn't the heart to figure out how I wanted to view my erased journey at that point. Pure ebony clung to my sweaty figure instead as a form-fitting t-shirt, simple neck choker, slender jeans, and a black, silver-studded belt. Black ankle boots were secured to my feet as though Setsuna had never disposed of them. There was no need to any longer...or rather...there never had been a reason. They'd never been scorched with fire or ruined by water. Same went for the fabric bag hanging from my side. I tightened my grip about the draw string, attempting to forcefully ease those thoughts from my mind.

A white moon bathed the summer evening in pale, blue highlights, and the only other light came from nearby street lights and the base airfield a few miles off. The grass about my stagnant feet was withering. In Texas, it's against the law to water one's lawn during a summer drought. I was certain my father would have been upset had he been around that year instead of away on military duty. He took pride in his well-kept grass.

The fence was gone around the backyard I stood in behind the house which I remembered from my youth. It was the year two thousand two.

Staring solemnly at the variety of cactus plants kept potted on the back porch, my mind reeled with memories of a quiet lifestyle filled with burning aspirations for the seemingly impossible destiny I'd suddenly discovered for myself. Raking my gaze up the patio, I caught the shimmer of two small disks of iris as a small grey feline observed me intently from inside the french doors.

Abruptly, said doors burst open, and a young girl came sprinting out of the house.

She stopped short a few feet before me as the cat scurried out from behind her and escaped into the night.

I returned her panicked gaze, unmoving. She'd undoubtedly sensed my arrival from her bedroom on the second floor. There had been no need to alert her.

She took a few additional steps forward and reached out to touch me as her big, brown eyes held fast to mine.

As soon as her finger grazed my arm, my body slowly slipped to the ground. My knees connected with the soil almost soundlessly, and her arms rose to hold my shoulders. In turn, my left hand clutched the side of her loose night shirt, and I let my guard fade into nothing. As I did, her eyes read straight into my war-battered soul.

"What...happened..." she whispered with beads of tension-induced sweat forming on her brow, "And where did you learn my real name? You used it recently when I contacted you in Hyrule..."

In her timeline...I had only departed the Earth a few weeks prior. And the body of mine she'd mirrored was merely twelve years of age. To see me as a grown, torn woman only a short time later must have caused even my guardian angel a great deal of distress.

††††

Blazing morning sun poured into Arella's...or rather...my quiet upper corner of the house that next day as we spoke for hours behind a closed door. My family had no idea I was there in that form, and so we kept our voices hushed so as not to disturb the peace in the unsuspecting household.

We sat up in the high bed with me in not but my underwear as my clothing was dirty and nothing else in that home that would fit a person of my newfound stature. I was still in a bit of a daze, trying to process all that had transpired while relaying it in detail to the girl sitting in front of me. The sunlight graced my bare skin in gentle, warm caress as sparkles of dust fluttered by us on the rays. My eyes were trained on the sheets. I still wasn't used to looking at myself from another body, especially then as she maintained the very form I'd originally left behind.

The explanation process was brutal. I wasn't sure how many times I'd have to describe such a grueling series of events, but I prayed it would be few. I told her nearly everything from the initial trials in Hyrule and the complicated relationship with Link, to obtaining the Triforce of Power, the awakening of the senshi, the battles with Sailor Moon and Mistress Nine, the memories with Din, the journey to Earth's future, and the revisit to Hyrule. But I left out a few details here and there of things I really didn't want to talk about. I remember omitting the hateful kiss from Sheik, how I chickened out and tried to escape Hyrule, about how and where I first tapped into Din's power, my exchange with Link in the presence of the Deku Tree Sprout, and the extent of Zelda's hatred for me.

"I'm so sorry..." I told her. "I don't understand why I didn't revert to my original age when we went back that last time. I..." My hand moved over the ghastly scar on my left shoulder and Arella's eyes followed.

Her gaze then dropped to examine the scars on my right arm and waist. "He did this...?" she asked, running two fingers over my side.

"That and the arm, yes, but...it's my fault. I should have been more agile. Please, forgive me...I didn't mean-"

She cut me off with a raised hand. "Enough."

Our eyes finally met again as I registered her sharp tone. It may have been my imagination, but I could've sworn I saw quick flashes of gold in her gaze for only a moment. I think she was...angry.

"You aren't to blame," she stated sternly, leaning forward. "I am."

Before I could argue, Arella planted a kiss over the rugged shoulder scar. I watched wide-eyed as the tissue turned from an infected red flush to a smoothed, pale patch of skin.

"I should've let you go alone. This endeavor put you through more than I was expecting," she continued.

"But...I understand. You needed me to put distance between yourself and the Hylian..."

She quickly changed the subject. "You couldn't revert to the form of a child because Sailor Universe locked you in once she was awakened. I'm still slowly learning about her various properties myself, but...if I know anything about Sailor Saturn and her influence on my new life...it's that her regenerative powers target the soldier's primary form during a crisis and force a permanent change of age to compensate. I'm sure you've read about it," she motioned at my small manga collection. "Furthermore, that grown body, while containing your DNA, is the product of my celestial seed. Once the senshi's crystal was activated, infused with Saturn's power, it merged with the guardian to reflect my original form with your genetic modifications."

I looked at her in bewilderment, brow furrowed and lips parted.

"Did you...seriously have to be reborn...?" I asked in a crude tone, shaking my head at the complications I'd been dragged into

I wasn't intending to be offensive per say...more like simply wishing for a smoother situation. But her eyes narrowed in my direction nonetheless. I could tell she was about to lecture me on the subject when a sudden knock at the door kept her from making a sound.

Both our gazes flew to the door in concern.

"Ashleigh?" we heard a muffled voice ask.

It was my mother.

"...yes?" Arella answered.

"Who are you talking to?"

I looked back at my guardian and slowly started slipping off the bed. My foot connected with the hardwood floor.

"No one...?" she hesitantly replied, returning my stare.

"I'm coming in," Mom told her.

The knob clicked. I flew to the closet and forced myself to fit into the tiny space behind the hanging clothes, pulling my legs up close to my floating form. What I wouldn't have given to repossess the Triforce of Power in that moment.

"You locked it?" I heard Mom say from outside the room.

Arella jumped off the bed and scrambled to open the door.

"What have your father and I told you about locking doors in this house...?" the older woman asked in a scolding tone.

"Um...not to?" I heard Arella reply.

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because...Grayson makes fun of me when I talk to myself..." the girl admitted.

_**OH! Sure, make me sound like a messed up schizo...**_ The sad part was: she was telling the complete truth, and she technically _was_ talking to...herself. _Technically_.

"I'm sorry he makes fun of you, but come and tell Daddy or me instead of locking the door," my mother stated.

I never understood that rule. Perhaps I'd ask about it at some point. If there was anything I'd learned from living as an older individual, it was that, usually, adults have surprisingly legitimate reasons for seemingly obscure courses of action.

"Yes, ma'am," my counterpart agreed.

Her response caused me to tense. My parents always tried to get me to show respect by using the terms 'ma'am' and 'sir', but I'd always been too stubborn to comply even as a military child. It seemed Arella was more than willing to play the part of an obedient kid, and I silently wondered if I had it in me to carry on what she started.

"Thank you... I came up here to tell you there's food downstairs if you'd like to come eat something. I'm going to the commissary later, so make sure you update the list on the kitchen counter if you want anything." Mom then headed back down the stairs after Arella had acknowledged.

My counterpart closed the door again and I emerged from the closet. When she turned around, I confronted her.

"The hell do you think you're doing to me?"

"I beg your pardon?" she asked innocently, seemingly completely aware of what she was doing.

"Playing me off as some kind of special-needs child? Respecting her in ways you know full-well I never did?"

"Funny thing, Ash...there are no children in this room..." she suddenly pointed out. "Only the body of one. The only thing you need to worry about is how you're going to go on living now that you know the truth."

"Wh-..."

"You're never even going to see them again after we merge. Do you really want their last memory of you to be that brat of a kid you used to be? Stubborn, rebellious, disrespectful, ungrateful..."

"Arella!" I shouted and then hushed my tone so as not to attract unwanted attention. "Two things here..." I started, "One: do you honestly believe I was like that for no reason? You were there through it all, were you not? Tell me you never witnessed the abuse I've been through!"

"I never denied that," she told me, "Now I'm going to let you in on a little secret...and you'd better damn well take it to heart."

As I stood there in the middle of the room half naked, my guardian began to circle me as she talked, watching me, probing my every thought to make certain I was paying attention. She told me things I'd never known before...about my parents. She told me of their childhoods and how they were brought up. I listened as she described horrible things beyond what I'd ever imagined involving maltreatment, rape, divorce, and neglect.

"The way a child is brought up accounts for much of how they act as adults, you should know this. But if you ask me...your mom and dad have done a fine job at suppressing most of what happened to them so they could do a better job of raising you. You were young, so you couldn't understand this. But now you can. And it would behoove you to take their actions in stride and forgive whatever shortcomings they may harbor," she explained.

"How did you learn all that...?"

"I've been around a while. Now what was your second point?"

I looked her dead in the eyes and took a deep, shaken breath. "I don't want to merge with you."

At that, she was silent.

We merely stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. For her future self, it was no surprise...not after sensing my desires to become an individual for so long. But in that past time period, the news must've caught her completely off guard.

"That was...our objective, was it not?" she asked finally, in a quite, almost hurt tone of voice.

"No, that was your objective. I want my body back. You can have Universe."

Her gaze faltered and began frantically searching the floor for nothing. "That's...that's not possible...it'd be violating the demiangel principle of never returning to humanity, and...there's no guarantee it'd actually work. You'd probably die in the process; I just-"

"What's this? A lying angel?"

Her eyes shot back upward and locked with mine in a fierce confrontation. "...I suppose you'd know a thing or two about lying, Miss Dreamer..." She ruthlessly implied about my less-than-truthful explanations to those in other worlds about how I new so much of their realm.

"I have the choice of becoming human again. My circumstance warrants my freedom, and you know it."

"Freedom..._freedom_? You think anyone can obtain true freedom?! If not bound to one principle, it's another! There is no such thing as freedom!"

"Perhaps that wasn't the best word to use...I just want my life back."

"Dispelling the gold feather would kill you. You have no idea what you're up against!"

"What is wrong with you? What do you mean it'd kill me?"

"You can't handle it on your own, you fool, this isn't some kind of magic that can be undone; it's God's power!"

"Why do you want me to stay with you so badly?!" I inquired.

"It's your body, isn't it? We were meant to act as one the moment I was reborn as you."

"But you're not me...you're Arella. I'm Ashleigh. We're different souls sharing the same flesh, and I had no say in that decision."

"So you wish I'd never entered your life, is that what you're saying?"

"No...I just wish you'd remained my guardian without forcing me to live _your_ life."

A hurt look finally crossed her face and she spun on heel, exiting the room, and then roughly shut the door shut behind her.

Frustrated, I turned back to the closet and jerked one of her, or rather, my dresses from the selection of clothing. Thrusting my energy into it as it came off its hangar, the garment sparked wildly. Threads expanded and spiraled to new lengths in a fit of light, adding to the length of the overall outfit. It wasn't until I adorned the adjusted gown that I realized it was the ebony flower girl dress my mother had made for me to wear in my aunt's wedding only four years prior. But how long ago that seemed...

I silently crept to the full-length mirror by the doorway to look it over. The white sash about the midriff wrapped around to a flowered, flowing bow in the back. It was indeed formal, and not suited for everyday wear. But it would have to do. I'd already hastily amended it for my next move.

Digging through the various organizer tubs aligned against the wall, I found a pad and pen. In a rushed fashion, I jotted down a few words and set the note on the bed next to my old clothes, and headed for the rearmost window. The glass slid up, and then I popped the screen out, setting it down against the wall. After searching the area for any signs of life and finding none, I took the leap. There was a slanted bit of roof just outside the window above my father's home office. But I avoided the delicate tiles of the seventy year-old home at all costs, sailing quickly to a nearby tree instead.

Numbingly stressful thoughts pounded through my head as I moved into the rear carport area of the property. _**I have to do this...she won't listen to me any other way. God, why is she so upset?! Why does it have to be like this?! WHY?!**_

Oh, the lengths I would go to regain humanity...

The gown flickered violently in my wake like a chaotic, black flame as I took off running down a back road. My first objective was to leave the base and get as far away from military air space as possible. The last thing I needed was government satellite attention, and there were no clouds that day to mask what I was about to do. Sudden traces of water slipped passed my lashes and into the air as I ran. I did not know if it was due to the stinging wind, or my subconscious desire to re-embrace the home I was again about to leave.

Before I knew it, I was breaking out of base housing and into the public sector of the small Air Force town. I did what I could to avoid main areas of traffic, but, unfortunately, I couldn't avoid all human contact.

"Miss!" someone suddenly shouted.

I stopped short. My hair flung to the front as I whipped about to see who'd called out.

A young airman set down his bags of groceries by what I assumed was his vehicle and slowly walked my way. My erratic breath and overall discomposure must have been why he acted so cautiously, but I was losing patience quickly.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

I took a split second to register the number of stripes on his uniform sleeve and the name on his chest. "Nothing's wrong," I told him.

"Forgive me," he started, and I began to notice his southern accent, "but its not everyday I see a dressed up young lady...barefoot, and seemingly running for her life."

I looked down. By jove, he was right! No shoes. Wasn't sure how I overlooked that one, but it was a little late to fix it. _**Oh well...**_

I then addressed him as I'd heard my father address his subordinates in the past. "Senior Airman Wilson, thank you for your concern. I do have somewhere to be, however; please carry on."

He watched as I took off running again and adjusted his cover to sit lower on his brow. "Shit...girl talks like an officer. But there is no way she gets all that hair into a bun...no way." Then, turning around, he reclaimed his bags and went about his awkward day.

††††

"I brought you some-" Arella stopped when she returned to the room to find it unoccupied and the window wide open with no screen. Her face flushed like a cherry, and she set the plate of cold cuts and veggies she was carrying on the bed where she caught sight of my note. Snatching it up into her small, slender fingers, she read the words silently.

_We don't have time for this.  
>You have a job to do, and I will not be assisting you any further. When you've come to terms with that, meet me in the Celestial Sanctuary. My body may be subject to your will. But my spirit no longer belongs to you.<em>

The paper slipped from her hand and drifted carelessly to the floor. The girl's shoulders suddenly hitched forward slightly and a hand was brought up to stifle a soft pout. She pressed her palm against her lips harder and harder as if it would stop her from weeping, but soon her eyes stung with tears. Clutching the bed comforter with her other hand, Arella sank to her knees and pressed her forehead against the box springs.

"I was wrong. You haven't grown up at all... All you've learned...is just how dark the universe can be..."

††††

Stumbling forward, my form exited the void and my feet connected with ancient stone steps before splashing into a pool of still, aqua-colored water. As the rift swiftly shut, I lost my balance and tripped into the pond headlong onto my hands and knees. There, I remained for a moment to catch my breath. I stared wearily back at my reflection on the glossy water surface, panting...liquid dripping from my contours to further frustrate the rippling image below. My fingers dug through the mud under the pond and clenched into fists before I pushed myself back up. Soon, I was running again...that time through a mystified forest on the timeless planet for the first time in reality. It was slightly overwhelming.

My gown had begun to dry once I reached the edge of the woods and darted out into the open field. Immediately, I caught sight of the giant tree jutting out from the sea not far off the shore. Leaping off the surface, I took to the air and made for the temple as though it was the finish line to the longest race of my life. But before I even made it to the water's edge, an abrupt yank of my hair pulled me out of the firmament and sent me crashing back into the field.

"Augh...!" I coughed on impact. After rolling a good twenty feet, I shot up into a sitting position, holding my arm in sudden pain. "What the hell?!"

Half expecting to look up and see Arella, imagine my surprise when I beheld a small female sprite with white hair and creamy eyes staring back down at me from an airy perch.

"Where do you think you're going human?! Where's your guardian escort?! The moons won't be aligned for much longer; don't you know you'll die?!" she shouted at me.

Bewildered, I looked up through the planet's atmosphere to glimpse the alignment of the moons. Sure enough, they were about to part. But I was still confused.

"I think...there's been a misunderstanding..." I started.

"Of what?"

"I..." wincing, I slowly stood back up, "I'm not exactly human right now." With little bits of dirt dried onto my hands, I attempted to brush off the black gown my mother had made for me and free it of gravel pieces.

"You're saying you're a demiangel?"

"Pretty much...yeah."

"I don't sense your angelic spirit or your wings at all."

"How would I fly otherwise...?"

"We get visitors from other worlds with that ability, it's no distinguishing factor."

I scoffed. "Look...maybe you can help me."

"Your name, human," the sprite demanded.

Officially frustrated with how I was being interrogated, my voice raised as I replied, "Ashleigh! Call me Ashleigh; I'm not human, but I want to be! I need a chaperone. My alter ego is due to meet me at the temple soon and we're going to switch bodies so she can continue her life as a guardian and I can take back the body she borrowed to be reborn. But I'd like to be supervised during the transfer. Do you know anyone who can help?"

Finally, my acting prosecutor had no words.

My eyes lowered to the surrounding lush grasses and a sound sigh escaped my lips. "Never mind, I'll figure this out..." Pushing passed her, I gathered my damp gown up around my knees to wade through an exotic flower patch. I didn't exactly feel safe in the air right then.

"I don't understand..." she said quietly.

"You don't have to. Just leave me alone," I shot back.

The next thing I knew, a hot blade of energy was forced dangerously close to the side of my neck. I halted, refusing to appease the fairy-like creature by turning back.

"I'm sorry," she told me, "I'm afraid I can't let you do as you please until I know what you are and why you've come."

"Since when are the inhabitants of this planet so hostile towards visitors...?"

"...It was ever since a _demon_ slipped passed our defenses over four centuries ago," was her sharp reply.

It was then that I turned ever so slightly to make eye contact and register her narrowed stare. "By chance...was this _demon_ called Salem?" My tone was intentionally matched to hers to relay my chronic displeasure in a deriding manner.

I felt her life force spike into frenzy at the mention of the enemy's name. However, her expression did not change. "Where did you get that information...?"

My brow furrowed as I responded, "I am, supposedly, the reincarnation...of a guardian named Arella."

"Impossible..." That time, the sprite's composure faltered and her weapon faintly trembled.

"Quite..." came another voice.

The two of us turned to put the young sound to a face, and as we did, I found myself once again staring solemnly back at my own figure.

That's when the strange sprite finally lost her disposition entirely. "Y-You have the spirit of that ancient demiangel... I can see your wings!"

Arella stood a good five yards away with a hand on her hip and a look of weary despair in her adolescent expression. "My counterpart here...is indeed half angel herself. But her wings are sealed until she reunites with me.

"I won't d-"

"Child!" my guardian silenced me. She then turned to the sprite and made a solid demand. "Krelein...please, find my attendants and have them meet us at the temple..."

Not every demiangel could claim specific attendants. Arella had been among those able to befriend a set of sprites who would never leave her side if given the option. And at her word, Krelein knew exactly of whom the guardian spoke.

As the winged subordinate sailed for the palace above, Arella suddenly took me by the arm. Before I could yank free, a small hand flew through the air and struck the side of my face with so much force, I crumpled into the flowerbed.

"Arella!" I screamed.

Her form was atop mine in nothing flat as I struggled to evade her. She was so small...but so _damn_ powerful. I remember kicking at her as she pinned my arms to the ground only to have my gut kneed and the wind fly out of me. I coughed and choked and gasped and squirmed...it must have been quite a sight as the figure of a fit, grown woman was so thoroughly dominated by a little kid. But I was scared...I truly was. Her essence was so fiercely overwhelming. The aura about her made this entity seem larger than life regardless of her petite figure. Her eyes flashed with with authoritative wrath...and then, suddenly, I realized...

Water splashed against the crest of my cheek. As breath slowly wheezed back into my lungs, I paused and stared up at her in quiet wonder.

When I ceased struggling, the demiangel put her weight on me and settled. Her eyes bore straight down into mine as unrestrained tears dripped from her dark lashes.

Finally, my breathing returned to normal, and I let the air circulate deep within my body before slowly letting it out again in silence.

Dark, curly locks of hair fell about me from Arella's shoulders and cast a shadow of solitude about our faces as the two of us shared the moment alone. Her forehead rested gently atop my own, and soon I felt her tears cascading over my brow. Her grip was still firm over my arms, but I could feel her heart was torn. No matter how separate we were, it was as though our souls still lived in unison. That alone did things to me I can't describe.

"I didn't send you to him to distance myself..." came her whisper.

My eyes widened.

"I let you go to Hyrule...because I wanted your dreams to come true." Her hands moved slowly to cradle my face, and a thumb softly caressed the forming bruise on my left cheek.

I winced at her touch, and my lower lip subtly quivered as her demeanor left me greatly unsettled. Franticly searching her gaze for even a hint of solace, my own eyes began to sting with liquid vexation.

"It's time to face reality, Ashleigh," she told me, her tone raising in severity. Her head lifted from mine as she once again stared intently back at me. "You and I were meant to continue in this world as one. I let you run free and do as you pleased during your mission to free the senshi, but that's all over now. You have to make a decision. I implore you to rejoin me in the battle of angels! But if you so chose...I will grant you the _humanity_ you crave." The word 'humanity' slipped off her tongue like a bad taste...or...perhaps it was a bitter memory.

"I want it..." I nodded, "...I do!"

"You will never speak of me...!" she warned. "You will never try to find me!" Her grasp on my head roughened, and I gasped soundly as she continued, "You will never allude to your experiences here! You will never attempt contact a celestial! You will never again fly on your own! The only battles you will fight will not be with extraterrestrial power, but with the way you live on the front lines between the righteous and the unholy within humanity! And you will never _ever_ see the Hylians or the sailor senshi again!"

My breathing was again erratic as I fought the pressure she was so mercilessly laying into me.

"Is that what you truly want...?!" she asked. The slight crack in her voice did not slip passed my notice.

"What I want..." I started, "...is to experience life...my own life...free of the torturous laws and boundaries of the celestials...and free of the curse of your past."

Her grip loosened, and I watched solemnly as she slowly sat up.

"The Tenyo..." I said softly, extending my hand.

In a whirl of golden light, Universe's brooch materialized over my outstretched palm.

With a sharp exhale, Arella snatched the encased crystal and stood to her feet. My eyes followed her as she began a brisk walk to the edge of the land before I rose to follow.

††††

Turquoise and gold runes came to life about our feet and streaks of similar light shimmied about in energetic bursts throughout the wooden walls of giant root. The cold nipped at our skin as my guardian and I stood facing each other just outside the Celestial Sanctuary.

Krelein entered the sacred realm from above after a time, followed by three others of her kind.

Arella looked up and saw a look of alarm on each of their expressions. They were breathless...all of them. Faye, Leila, and Shea...the sprites my guardian held most dear. Each were yearning to ask a myriad of questions, and it was so evident on their small, enraptured faces. Yet, young though they appeared, their age spanned beyond that of Arella's, and with it, their wisdom. It was not the time for inquiry. A greater task was at hand.

Under the eternal gaze of the archangel statues guarding the temple, the sprites congregated about Arella and me as the guardian began to speak.

"In this two thousand second year Anno Domini, I stand before the entity I was entrusted to protect as the vessel...nay, as the person who ferried my spirit back into the realm of living flesh..."

Her words were nearly lost on me as I focused in on her figure. She was speaking as an ancient celestial in that place...not at all as I'd known her all my life. It was almost...painful as she drifted farther apart from the bond we'd formed and slowly returned to her former self.

"Our souls will be exchanged," she continued, "and then the celestial feather which grants this body power will be destroyed. This girl will live on as a human being, separate from her guardian and soldier Universe. I will offer one more chance..."

My attention was recaptured. She was talking to me...giving me one last opportunity to reunite with her. As I stared down at her, I finally saw her heavenly eyes...gold...and pleading.

"Why me..." I whispered. I simply could not fathom why she wanted to stay with me so intently. I was nothing compared to her. A burden is more of how I saw myself...a mortal hinderance to her angelic purpose. All my life I'd been a subject of protection that she was bound to. But she finally had the opportunity to be free of me, and she didn't want to take it. "Why me..." I asked again.

She moved closer, slowly advancing until she was within arm's reach of me, never breaking her gaze from mine.

Her whisper sent chills down the skin of my back.

"We are one..."

I softly bit my tongue in apprehension and my head shook slightly of its own accord.

"We are but a reflection of each other," she riterated.

"No..."

"Without you, I do not exist in this world. Without me...you would die."

"I..." my head continued to shake. "We can exist separately, it's fine..."

"And yet, we are forever connected. You will not see me, but you will feel my pain. And there will be nothing you can do...to end it. Likewise, I will know your fears, and I will be forbidden to comfort you. We will forever share the same flesh, and even so, we will never be whole."

My hands curled into tight fists as my arms began trembling at my sides. "Arella...! I've made my decision! Our souls are not one! No matter what fate has done to us...!"

_...One sails the seas of life and believes the storms will lead you home..._

A heavy breath escaped her chest, and the guardian's eyes slowly slipped shut as her head tilted towards the heavens.

A long, silent moment crawled slowly by as Arella prepared her mind for what was to come. I caught a glimpse of one last glistening tear as it slid mournfully down her cheek.

_These open roads will call you with The Promise: You'll walk the Earth ... e..._

I silently wondered if the Arella I had met in the future had gone through that much suffering as she began to realize what I truly wanted in life. She hadn't displayed near that level of pain when I informed her of my decision before.

_I live in a dream, with open eyes, I breathe again, I see all your fears ... together we can feel. I feel...we can heal ... and take the road less traveled on to here...in the new ... like diamonds we will shine. We shine... We will rise ... two hearts, where souls are free again... We live!_

"You heard her," the demiangel finally spoke.

Krelein and the others positioned themselves behind us. Two behind Arella, and two with me. I felt them gently grasp my arms and lock a firm hold. I looked to my guardian for guidance, and to my relief, she gave it.

Reopening her eyes and facing me once again, Arella reached out to me and silently beckoned for my hand.

_We sail the seas of life and believe the storms will lead us home... These open roads will call us with The Promise … we walk the Earth alone..._

I placed my right palm flat against hers, and we instantly unified in thought. Both our eyes drifted shut then, and the world around us became but a blur of senselessness. The only thing we heard was each other.

_We walk, we fall...we learn, we fail, we stand...  
>We fight, we help...we hate, listen, and go.<br>Love...we drive...we dance, we laugh, bloom. _

_Amaze...we hope...we pray, leave, pass._

_We walk...we fall..._

Every fiber of my being felt warm and complete for a fleeting moment as the two of us stood completely unified...and then...her superior knowledge of the transference of spirits engulfed my senses, and we began to drift apart once again as my angel and I engaged the endeavor together.

_This dream is a universe ... and every soul shines... Where the darkness turns into light, I take you to fly with me... And follow the way ... there will always be a new day..._

Suddenly, everything grew very dark. No...it wasn't even darkness. It was simply...nothing. Gravity no longer existed, but I could not open my eyes. For a brief moment, I was nothing...I simply...existed. I wish I could describe the feeling in human words, but I'm at a loss just as I was in the void with Pluto when we discovered Arella's drifting spirit after her death. It was literally just...nothingness.

I heard voices.

I recognized them as belonging to the sprites who had surrounded us. Frantic voices...shouting to steady the lifeless bodies of the demiangel and her counterpart.

Then, just as abruptly as I'd lost it, my physical life seemed to reignite, and I felt breath. I tasted flesh and felt a rush of my heart. A warm aura suddenly dissipated, and I was rapidly hit with the cold atmosphere. Air rushed into my lungs in a hastened, sharp gasp and I cried out as my eyes flew open. Horrified gasps continued as my body went into shock. All I could see was a dim aqua blur. I felt hands all over me, fighting to keep me upright, and those same voices from before were attempting to console my racing mind. Apparently, I was shaking violently.

Soon after, I recall hearing a different voice which silenced all the rest. My figure was released, and I instantly collapsed. But just as I did...I felt bigger, stronger arms encase my form and break my fall. The deep, aqua blur sifted into other colors as the silence calmed me somewhat.

Gentle fingers laced into my hair and I was held securely against another form. Warm...so warm.

My breathing slowed as my vision steadily restored itself. My hands shook wildly until I grasped what I soon registered to be ebony fabric adorning the person holding me.

Finally, looking up, I beheld the serene figure of my guardian hovering over me just as protective as she'd been the day I was conceived.

"It _was_ you all along..." I choked. Tears lined my eyes, and I pressed my face against her shoulder.

A subtle smile touched her lips. "It's not easy being young again...is it..."

I opened my mouth only to let an unintentional sob escape as my response.

"Shh..." she whispered, caressing the back of my head. Then, standing, she hoisted me up onto her hip and held me fast against her like the child I was. "Let's get you home."

††††

I awoke in the dark only to have a quick hand pull me into a sitting position. A groan sounded in my throat at my disapproval, and I rubbed my eyes until they adjusted to the dimness.

"Are you ready?" I heard a woman ask.

Glancing over, I found Arella standing at the side of my bed in different attire from before. We had returned to Earth that evening, and she'd let me eat dinner with my family and nap while she went out to procure a new outfit with my allowance money. I didn't mind, honestly. There was nothing I was saving up for back then.

"Ready for what...?" Looking the opposite way, I found my window dismantled again.

"To decimate the gold feather..." was her grave reply.

Catching her eye, my heart sank to find her completely serious. And then, it struck me...that as soon as I was human again, she was going to leave me forever. I shut my eyes tightly and ran my hands back through my hair, clenching them into fists. I forced myself to remember why I was going through with the whole thing. It wasn't easy.

"How..." I asked after a moment.

"Tap into your spirit again. You should know how by this point. But instead of moving it, you need to extract the remnants of me you feel inside, and bring them out."

Glancing back up, I shot her a bewildered look. "Really..." I said, "sounds complicated."

"Don't give me that. It's the same as when you isolated Din's power during the trial on Pluto." She was clearly in no mood for discussion. It was insane how protective she was of me, and yet so rough at the same time.

My hands fell back into my lap. "I didn't tell you about that..." I said quietly, eyeing her suspiciously.

Pulling the sheets off of me and guiding me to the other end of the bed, Arella stood firm before me and placed her hands on either side of me on the comforter.

Suddenly, an intense flash of light burst forth from between us and spread across the room, coating the walls with some kind of golden forcefield.

As I marveled in anxious curiosity, Arella replied, "Did you not notice we gained each other's memories after the transfer...?"

It hadn't even occurred to me. She only had a few weeks-worth of memories for my retrieval. Whereas I had years-worth for her. It must have had a significantly greater impact. But it did make perfect sense as our respective brains were still very much intact.

"What's all this?" I asked her, staring apprehensively at the walls.

"A shield made of my life force," she replied, "I've modified it to stifle your screams from the rest of the world."

My heart went stone cold. "...my what...?"

Her glare penetrated my core and threatened the only shred of courage I clung to in that moment. "I told you dispelling the feather would probably kill you."

_**She wasn't lying...**_ My breath faltered.

"Proceed," she ordered, seemingly unaffected by the implications of her demand.

My fingers felt like ice. I couldn't feel my legs dangling over the edge of the bed, and my shoulders tingled with spiking anxiety. My right hand moved slightly to grasp her left forearm and my left, her maroon shirt. She was still, and allowed me to rest my forehead against her chest as I took deep, labored breaths, and prepared to repel her essence.

I began searching.

With eyes shut tightly, I probed my being for the guardian within. My skin began to pulse with a faint light as the angelic blood sprang to life beneath the flesh. Shutting out the outside world, I discovered the source of ethereal power deep in the confines of my spirit, emitting a warm, comforting glow.

I felt Arella's hands move to my hips. She was...bracing me... I was terrified. What if the process actually killed me? Was it worth it? I couldn't let my faith fluctuate...no second thoughts. It was then or never.

Sparks scraped fiercely across my body as I began manipulating the warm essence. It swelled and consumed my senses with overwhelming levels of perception and capability as I delve deeper into the spirit. It was as though every dark thing was driven far from me as the power radiated into the room.

_**So, this is what I'm letting go of...**_

Encasing the distinctly divine entity with my own soul...

I thrust it from my being.

Arella lurched forward in a fit of pain just as I released a deafening cry in harrowing agony. I then realized she had also been bracing herself.

"_...you will feel my pain. And there will be nothing you can do...to end it."_

"NNAAAAUUUUGHHH!" I continued to scream as though my very body was being slowly shredded to pieces. I was on fire without burning...my vision shattered into acute colors and blackness all at once and tore at my mind with a splitting headache. Arella's grip on me nearly crushed my bones as mine ripped her clothing and severely bruised her arm. "I...CAAAN'T!" I shouted at her. Suddenly, golden veins of light sprung from my heart and snaked all up and down my blood stream, shining brightly through the skin as my form came apart from the inside.

Arella ignored my cry and crushed me harder. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she was trying to hold me together.

I opened my eyes as tears of white light gushed uncontrollably over my face. I beheld a bright object hovering between my guardian and me...spinning...spinning so fast. And Arella...she was praying. Her eyes were sealed shut and her lips moved soundlessly as her spirit lit her own body amidst a powerful whirlwind of protective energy. Between panting and shrieks of pure anguish, I clutched the spinning light. It halted in my grasp, and I saw what it was.

The gold feather from my guardian's own wing shined powerfully as the spirit it manifested struggled apart from my soul.

"It...it's out! Why am I still breaking?!" I cried in terror. Liquid light continued to pour from my eyes as the golden veins threatened to burst at any moment.

Arella nearly yanked my right arm right out of its socket as she pulled away and grabbed my wrist with merciless force. The next thing I knew, she'd sliced my forearm open with a sudden Pulsar Blade, and celestial blood ruptured out from the wound in bountiful spurts. Again, I screamed for my life, piercing the atmosphere with the sound of unparalleled fright.

"Is the light gone?!" I heard her yell at me in vexation.

"ARELLAAA!"

"IS IT?!"

"N...NOO!" I jerked my arm back from her and cradled the injury, rocking back and forth in a fit of terror and unbearable suffering.

"You aren't finished! Destroy it!" was her final command.

Every nightmare I'd ever experienced came rushing back into my stricken mind in that abrupt moment, tormenting me...haunting my every thought as I pressed to eradicate the very essence of my guardian angel. It was hell in every way. I silently wondered if she would take me back if I begged...

But my better judgment hissed that it was far too late.

With the feather locked tightly in my grasp, I released it from the bond. My soul separated itself from the golden power with a sweeping rush of my will alone, and recoiled.

A sharp explosion shattered the feather into billions of sparks which suddenly dissipated into thin air. The light which accompanied it, blinded me, and I didn't see the guardian spirit release into the heavens. ...But I certainly felt it.

I was thrown back onto the bed as I was released from my angel...spiritually...and physically. My heart felt empty. As the light darted about the room in an unguided frenzy, I heard her voice,

_"Though you may not see me, what I represent is very real...and will be with you all the days of your life."_

Finally...

the golden light which I'd grown so close to throughout the course of my life...died away.

And the celestial blood which had once flowed freely through my veins and spilled across the room, turned a dark crimson in color. My face was stained with red tears, and the entirety of my form was dark...and nearly lifeless.

* * *

><p>Song: The Promise - by Globus<p> 


	4. My Life Without You

Chapter IV

My Life Without You

Warm bubbles flitted to the surface of the shallow bathwater as I plunged the comforter under the soapy mixture again. I watched it slowly sink and then began scrubbing it vigorously to the get the blood off. Redness filtered freely into the tub and tainted the water like a poisonous smoke. Quickly, I drained the tub and rinsed out the sides to avoid anymore staining. Luckily, it was working. I'd gotten blood on my clothes before, and Mom had me watch as she used warm water and a bar of soap to get it out. 'Always do it by hand first,' she said... 'the washing machine won't get it all if you don't.'

Gathering up the soaking wet, heavy blanket, I wrapped it with a few dry towels and took them all down to the laundry room. Setting the dials to a warm, large load, I dropped the bundle in and added detergent.

"Oops...wait...I think I did that wrong..." I said to myself, staring blankly at the open washer. But after a moment, I simply shrugged, closed the lid, and walked out as though the actual loading process was of little importance.

The house was quiet.

My brother was up playing in his room and my mother was out grocery shopping. It was midday. I stood a moment in the foyer facing the front door and looked around. Just ahead before the entryway was the sunroom in which my computer sat. I shared it with my brother, but I was usually the one using it for Microsoft Paint drawings and silly voice recordings meant to entertain myself. To the right was the living room in which my friends and I typically congregated for Nintendo games and anime shows. On the left was the dinning room, and behind me were the stairs.

I had absolutely no idea what to do. I was trying my best to push Arella far from my thoughts, but, as expected, it was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do.

The front door clicked.

The grey feline from before brushed passed my leg and galloped over to the threshold, nearly chirping with sudden glee. When it opened, Mom came through with a few plastic bags of food in her hand.

"There's mommy's little baby!" she spoke happily to the kitty.

Dora meowed and purred as her favorite person ever gave her love-pats.

As I watched, I recalled back to when we'd gotten the animal. She was one of the babies of a stray that came around our house when we lived off base. She was so small, we'd thought she was a mouse at first. Then, I made it a point to catch her one day, and we kept her in the bathroom until mom could bathe her and get all the fleas off. When it came to naming her, I chose the name Dora after my piano teacher's cat. Then, later on when a kid's show came on the air featuring a little girl named Dora the Explorer, I cringed in disgust at the thought that people would associate my cat's name with that program. I guess it didn't matter much by that point...she'd already taken a greater liking to my mother than to me anyway.

"Ashleigh, would you help bring in groceries, please," she said, which, did sound like a question, but was more of a demand instead.

"Mm..." I agreed, and walked out to the sunroom.

"Is that the washing machine I hear...?"

"Yup." I didn't bother explaining despite how abnormal it was for me to even touch said device.

As I brought in the perishable groceries to the kitchen first, Mom asked about the comforter. I told her I'd gotten cut and accidentally spilled blood on it. Truth.

"Did you get a Band-Aid?"

I pulled my long shirt sleeve further down over the gauze-wrapped forearm. "Yup."

"Excuse me?"

I looked over at her through unamused brown eyes and replied, "Yes...ma'am..."

"And you were doing so well."

_**Damn you, Arella... **_I cursed.

But before I went out to get the remaining grocery bags, I stopped. A few thoughts quickly processed through my mind before I turned, issued my mother a brief hug, and then darted out of the kitchen, not leaving any time for questioning.

††††

"Ashleigh, aren't you gonna build your inn? Our warriors are tired and got lots of treasure to spend!"

I glanced over at David from where I was watching his younger brother play Banjo Kazooie on the floor in a corner of their room. His short, blonde hair was nearly white and fell just slightly over his brow. I could tell it was starting to bug him as he kept sweeping it off his forehead. My attention turned to the lego warrior in his hand which was holding a spear and wearing a tiny helmet to symbolize his status as a soldier.

"Can't they just sleep in the lab or something...?" I asked. I always had been the one to build a house or an inn while the boys built military bases and science labs and fought in little lego wars over treasure. Secretly, I enjoyed collecting treasure myself back in the day. I'd search for it in the giant lego tubs while the guys were in the middle of a fight, and they'd get so jealous when I ended up with rare pieces. But I was the peacekeeper inn lady! So they could never harm me.

"Uuh...nooo? They need an inn to stay at. Sleeping in the lab is just stupid," the boy replied.

My brother suddenly emerged from our friends' closet with a custom-built lego aircraft, and the 'vrooming' sound effects ensued. I watched him for a moment as he challenged David's little armada with it, and they started a mini war right then and there.

Mike then sighed loudly, "I'm done with this game." His sudden lapse of interest never ceased to amaze me. I attributed it to the hyper-active nature of most boys his age, and resolved to get used to it again. He turned to me and asked, "Wanna play Zelda next?"

"I have an inn to build," I abruptly answered and scooted over to a plastic tub, suddenly very interested in the contents.

As I dug through the pond of lego pieces, I thought to myself... _**I have an opportunity to relive my childhood... I should be ecstatic – why does it all feel so...superficial?**_

††††

Bereft and broken, golden eyes stared wearily into their own reflection upon a polished, white marble floor. A bare foot occasionally disturbed the mirrored image as Arella swirled her toe around on the hard surface in a thoughtful daze.

Her three companions lounged about her in the old bedroom they'd been holding for her for all those centuries. Their pale, cream-colored eyes all stared at her in silent concern. She sat silently at the edge of her enormous bed, and had hardly spoken a word since returning to the timeless planet. Hanging gracefully from her shoulders was the same white gown she'd procured in Hyrule in her previous life with a few modifications the sprites had gifted her with upon her return. As 'welcome home' presents, her friends had crafted her beautiful accessories out of the precious stones and metals found in the mountain below the angelic palace.

Faye created a circlet for the angel with a silver Tenyo-shaped stone in front. Beads hung gracefully from the bottom tip as golden disks and a couple crosses splayed out to the sides. Pearls and amber-colored rails trailed around back where the piece was fastened with a white moonstone cabochon clip. And out from that, flowed two long strands of pearls and teal and gold beads which fell along a single braid of auburn hair among the rest of Arella's loose locks.

Leila was responsible for the choker adorning the base of Arella's neck. It was made of long, auric and silver teardrop beads with a silver plate in front displaying a gold cross. The sprite strung together a pair of matching earrings of the same shining beads.

And Shea had taken it upon himself to weld a small belt of similar metals for the guardian's waist. It set gracefully about her hips, colored stones in a row along the face, and coming to a point in the front where another, elongated silver Tenyo replica glistened with every move. Rectangular golden plates hung down from the sides and dangled gracefully about the angel's form.

Arella had thanked them profusely for the gifts, but material things would not quell the inner suffering she received from my end of the universe.

Shea slightly scowled over where he sat on the ledge by the window. "So...your wings haven't appeared yet?" he asked, breaking the suffocating silence with the ancient Hebrew dialect.

Without so much as a glance his way, Arella shook her head. "They will never return..."

"But why?" Faye asked woefully. They still acted like children no matter how elderly they were. It truly intrigued the demiangel.

"My other half holds the key to my new flesh. Without her, I can...or rather, _we_ never be complete." Her brow furrowed and her teeth clenched as she fought the urge to break something. Her fists closed tightly about the fabric beside her on the bed and didn't release before Leila sauntered up and took the guardian's face in her small hands.

"But you can still use them even if they're forever sealed from sight, right? And, Angel Arella...even without your wings, you're still so very pretty... Try to cheer up."

The woman swiftly pulled the sprite up into her arms and held her as tightly as she could without smothering her. "I feel so blessed to have you three in my life..." she told them.

"We're just so glad you're back! Great heavens!" Faye hastily exclaimed, grateful for the swift change of pace. "We didn't think we'd see you again!"

"What will you do now?" Shea asked, stretching his arms behind his head.

Arella released Leila who fluttered back over to her spot on the chest at the end of the bed. "I...suppose I'll just await orders..." she responded.

"You haven't gotten them yet?" Faye asked, surprised. "Why are you wasting time around here, then?"

"What to you mean...?"

Shea chuckled, "You can leave you know...until the cherubs call you. Adriana only kept you here for training."

Adriana...

Now there was a name which weighed heavily on the guardian's heart. "Oh...I see. I'm not sure where to go, though..."

Faye jumped off the top of the wooden wardrobe, and flipped over to the demiangel on the bed to float before her face...upside down. "Yooou have those other worlds you like to go to, riiiight?" she cooed.

Arella stifled a laugh and pushed Faye away with two fingers pressed against the sprite's forehead. "Yeah, I think I'm retiring from that... Bad things happen."

"But they're your friends over there!" Shea reminded, "You shouldn't just abandon them."

"They don't remember me, Shea," the guardian told him as she rose from her spot on the bed. Walking closer to the window, Arella reached out with her right hand to touch the wooden cross hanging from the wall on that side of the room. "When Universe went back in time, everyone-" Suddenly, the faded mark of the Triforce flashed over the back of her right hand. She stiffened.

"I think some of them do..." the male sprite shot back candidly. "So, time's been reversed several years...I know of at least three people who will never forget you, and I'm not talking about us."

She knew of whom he spoke. Pluto and Mamoru may not have harbored the memories of Sailor Universe, but they sure as hell remembered Arella. And then...there was Link...who, in fact, knew everything. One person the sprites didn't know of was Meri. She, too, retained her memories from the time spent with me, but Arella hadn't met her in person yet.

Would my dearest watcher honestly just leave them all hanging?

Running her fingers lightly over the cross, Arella let a sigh escape her lips. "I...will visit one," she finally gave in. "But the others, I prefer to avoid...for now."

††††

Summer passed by slowly. I found myself extremely bored like I'd never been before. Most afternoons I'd sit in my bedroom and draw or sing softly to myself. I didn't watch any television at all, nor did I play video games. Occasionally, I'd check up on the computer, but avoided it for the most part. I shunned anything that would make me remember. On the Fourth of July that year, my family went over to the Moody's place to play with sparklers and firecrackers. The fireflies were so plentiful that time of year, they seemed to be celebrating Independence Day with a twinkling light show of their own.

I'd become quiet again. My connection with my family suffered as I bottled in whatever joy and affection I could share simply because I felt out of place. It wasn't until I received an invite to spend the night at my best friend's house did I begin to feel completely detached.

Mom drove away as I entered the familiar home which smelled somewhat of canine, but mostly of the distinct, sweet and homely aroma that the Bay family was known for in my mind.

"Heeey...!" I heard from the stairway.

I looked up and smiled at the twelve year-old blonde. "Yo!" She'd just had her birthday a couple weeks prior so we were finally the same age again. But she acted just like the same, energetic girl she'd always been...and would be for years to come.

"You've gotta come see this," she told me and bolted up the steps for me to follow.

Adjusting my backpack over my shoulder, I bounded up after her with the little terrier mix, Pepper, trailing not far behind.

At the top of the steps, I reached the large game room where we'd shared many video game adventures over the past year. It was complete with a couch, recliner, coffee table, and entertainment system. And lo and behold...there she had the Nintendo Sixty-Four out in front of the massive TV screen.

She grabbed the remote and exclaimed as she fumbled for the power button, "Dad just installed surround sound. It's effin' awesome, check it out."

It was then I noticed the additional speakers built into the walls around us. "Huh..."

At the sound of a click, I looked over to watch the television spring to life. I heard the game's music before the image became clear.

The reminiscent sounds of a tambourine and small lute made their way into my ears from every direction. Breath filtered slowly into my lungs as muscles tensed, and my gaze was painfully glued to the digital image that gradually cleared across the giant display.

"Uh..." was the subtle noise of alarm that escaped my throat. My brow twitched in discomfort as I attempted to look away from the projection. But I could not. Something deep within me craved it like nothing else, no matter how unsettling it seemed.

"Cool, huh? Just imagine how Jak and Daxter will sound with this! But I've been testing it out with Zelda. Not bad."

My bag dropped as I continued to stare at the polygonal landscape that was Kokiri Forest. It felt as though I was being haunted by that which I could never again grasp with my own hands. And I'd been trying so hard to push it all from my mind and move on. Something was tormenting me purposefully, I was sure of it. And it angered me.

My demeanor didn't slip passed my friend's notice.

"You okay? I mean, I know it's pretty sweet, but..."

"Please, turn it off..." I told her.

With one brow raised, the girl pressed the power button on the remote a second time, and the TV went black. The surround sound system was terminated as well, and I felt the tension in my head suddenly release with the absence of the nostalgic tune.

My right hand raised, and taut, white knuckles were pressed against my lips as my eyes averted to the carpet.

"Ashleigh...whaaat's the deal?" I heard her ask again before poking my arm.

I looked up at her, my fist still over my mouth.

"_Tell me about everything once you go back in time. Trust me…I'd wanna know about this.__"_

Suddenly, my eyes were plagued with a familiar stinging.

"Woah, why are you crying now?! Did something happen?" she then became legitimately concerned.

_**I can't tell you, Taryn...what's happened won't matter to you. It won't make a difference now...it's over...**_

I had to come up with something to actually say. So, instead of telling her what we'd been through in the future that would never be...I decided to relay an alternate truth.

"I won't be going to seventh grade with you..." I bluntly explained, wiping an unshed tear from my left eye. It wasn't as painful a truth, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me at all.

I felt her freeze. "You what...?"

"My mom told me Dad will be coming home in November. Then we'll have to move again."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to California..."

A frustrated sound came from her direction, but any words were lost in her sudden discomfort.

I explained that going to school for only a couple months wasn't an option. My mother would be homeschooling my brother and I again...just as she'd done in years prior when the military transferred us to a new location.

"I'll...be here for my thirteenth birthday, though. It's just a week before my brother's so we'll be celebrating at the same time...probably at laser tag."

"Hm..." she muttered, walking over to the large DVD display case. I watched my friend plop down on the floor and begin going through the selection as if she was legitimately interested in it.

"Taryn..." I said quietly.

"Hm..." was the same frustrated sound from before.

"Will you always be my best friend...even though I'm going away?"

At that, she glanced back to see my cheeks flushed with acute sorrow, still fighting the tears.

"Of course, why?"

I clung to myself and mentally screamed at the words she didn't even realize were a lie. As the agony of loss bore into me yet again, I finally dropped to my knees and let the misery consume me.

_**What have I done...?**_

††††

Sparks flew at the sound of a shrill clang, followed shortly by a feminine grunt as a golden boot connected sharply with a strong, silver rod. The offensive figure was hurled back into the mist as a woman with forest-green hair recoiled from the impact.

A slender arm reached out to grab her when the sacred garnet atop her staff illuminated, and enclosed the intruder in a powerful force field.

"Don't think that just because you're from another world with different rules...means you have the right to enter this place," came the authoritative voice of the Guardian of Time.

"All I was thinking, actually...was that you wouldn't mind meeting with an old ally," was the response.

Pluto's brow furrowed into an even graver expression as the essence of the other senshi filtered through her sharp perception. "You...you're the real one."

"Excuse me...?" Golden glow of iris pierced through the dimness of the realm as the 'intruder' spoke.

"Sailor Universe was previously claimed by a younger spirit. You are the true demiangel I knew from the past."

"And how do you have any memory of Sailor Universe...? The time you spent with her was erased..."

"Again you underestimate the power of the daughter of Chronos," Pluto stated sharply as the Senshi of Worlds stood baffled within the red containment field.

"So, how did you know we were separated?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out. Your counterpart mentioned a duplicate. And after witnessing how you were reborn...it became apparent there's another spirit involved here. I recognized you from your aura. And where is she now...?"

Universe's hand twitched as she fought the urge to grasp at her heart which ached in unison with mine. The knowledge of my condition was silently torturing her...but she was so much stronger than I could ever be. Her composure would not falter in the midst of another senshi. "She's safe at home. The senshi was surrendered to me, so I will be continuing on in her place."

Something about the situation seemed to bother Sailor Pluto. But she did not touch on the matter further.

"As an 'old ally'..." she mused, "I will allow you to explain your visit before expelling you from this realm. Consider it merciful, as I'm tasked with destroying anyone who trespasses."

The gold-clad senshi scoffed at the laws of that world before extending her hand. "I came to bring you this."

Pluto stared intently at the light which appeared above the woman's hand in swirling form. "I've seen this..." she breathed.

A small, metal marble materialized and transformed into the moon-tracking device from the timeless planet. It unfolded in gleaming, celestial light which rivaled the radiance of Pluto's staff.

"It's still sustained with my power, and I'll keep it that way while its in your possession. If anything should happen to me, you'll know instantly as it will cease to work," the brunette explained.

After a few moments of silence, the Guardian of Time looked back up to meet the demiangel's gaze. "Why do you wish to re-involve me with your world, Arella...? Haven't we suffered enough?"

A slight smirk played across Universe's lips. "A little princess once told me...that if one could travel between worlds, it would mean there's a connection; one universe could affect another, and they would be no longer separate."

Pluto's eyes narrowed.

The demiangel continued, "And then another _wise_ princess added...that it would imply that this is all one universe. Therefore, we cannot possibly be from alternate planes of existence. We're connected, Pluto... The worlds may be different, but we cannot undo the bonds we've created. They transcend all physical distance. I think you know this... And I'm choosing to put my trust in you as a fellow guardian, Opener...and companion."

The planetary senshi was silent. It wasn't as though she was at a loss for words...merely that there was nothing she wished to say in that moment of deep reflection.

The crimson force field dissipated, and Universe took a step forward.

"My counterpart and I thank you for your mentorship during her trials. If you ever need anything, you'll know where to find me," she said quietly as she placed the device in Pluto's hand. The light spun back into marble form before vanishing into the senshi's hidden possession. "How are the others?" Universe then asked, inquiring about the remaining sailor soldiers.

"Children," was Pluto's only response.

Sailor Universe nodded in solemn understanding. Her eyes met with Pluto's one more time before she parted. The excessive travel of dimension and time did something unspeakable to the soul which was evident in both their gazes. A soundless, yet powerful relationship formed between them in that fleeting moment which would unfailingly last an eternity.

††††

The night at Taryn's was sombre. She'd set aside anything Zelda related and focused on other distractions. We explored more Dragon Ball Z music videos online in attempt to get our minds off of heartbreaking reality. It worked only slightly. But my mind would not let go of the darkness completely.

We were called down for dinner, and Mrs. Bay told us with a warm smile that she'd ordered from the Whataburger restaurant since I'd never had the luxury of trying it out before.

Taryn was excited, to say the least. "Finally! You'll get to taste a bit of heaven," she said.

"Took me long enough, huh?" I played along.

Dinner was silent on my end as I was content with listening to the family converse. Mr. Bay was a huge guy, and I never really knew what to say around him anyway. Big people kind of intimidated me back in the day, after all, I was barely four feet and ten inches, and skinny as hell.

I took a deep breath once I was full, and pushed my chair from the table. After thanking my friend's parents for the great meal, Taryn and I headed back up the stairs to spend time with each other which we knew was so precious and evanescent.

††††

Sweat.

If I moved, it would kill me. If I breathed, it would kill me. If I spoke, it would kill me. So, I stared at it, frozen.

The black cloud moved ever so slightly in an organic fashion, and my heart seemed to stop.

That feeling of threat had resurfaced. It's what made the difference between a bad dream and a nightmare for me. It wasn't my physical body I was worried about. It was my very soul.

Repeating jumbled thought over and over in my mind was all I could do. Dizziness, slight nausea, and confusion spawned from a blinding fear I hadn't known in a long time. I felt the sweat I was pouring out onto the pillow even though I was asleep. But more than anything, I felt the presence of the creature before me.

Suddenly, in a bout of fear...

_**In the name of Christ J-**_ My throat collapsed.

Blackness shrouded what vision I had left and suffocated me from the inside. I was no longer breathing.

Taryn jolted upright as my waking gasp abruptly pulled her from sleep. "What's going on..." she groggily asked, running a hand over her weary expression.

Quick, jagged breaths made their way in and out of my trembling lungs. I was raised on an elbow, simply staring out into the darkness of the bedroom. Suddenly, my mind broke free of the shock and began racing in absolute fear.

"She's really _gone_..." I whispered.

"...What?" my friend inquired, rolling over to watch me pull the covers off and get out of bed.

"I can't feel her. They're back...they've never appeared outside my parents' home before now...what's going on...why are they back..." Stumbling through the dim room, I made my way to the door, and headed for the bathroom down the hall.

_**Arella, where are you...you said you'd be with me ...You liar...**_

††††

Golden nails scraped across the window sill Arella leaned upon as her fingers curled into tight fists. Her gaze bore unseen holes through the glass which showed her out into the vastness of space. The stars seemed to gleam brighter as the demiangel's fury escalated.

"Centuries ago, you told me that you'd been warned against becoming uncontrollably angry by the cherubs themselves..."

"What do you want, Leila..." the brunette asked without turning to meet the pallid stare of the lone sprite in her bedroom.

"Merely cautioning you...as a friend. I felt your life force from across the palace. The other half angels were asking questions." Young and carefree though she may have usually appeared, Leila was of the more serious-mannered attendants who lived among the demiangels along with Krelein.

"What angels...? There is hardly anyone around these days. Tell me, just what's become of my kind?!" Finally, the guardian pushed herself into an upright position and turned to face her companion.

Leila stood her ground under the heat the demiangel's frustration. "The half angels...are dwindling. As the Earth crawls farther and farther from the time of Christ, so does its purity. The number of candidates worthy of possessing a Celestial Seed are few. Therefore, we must do what we can with what we have...and never falter...if only for the sake of those who still believe."

Arella sank onto the white ledge and let her head fall gently back onto the window behind her. "Not worthy..." she repeated, "so some demiangels...are perishing without ever finding a replacement..."

"Unfortunately," the sprite confirmed.

A shaken breath was released from the guardian's chest as she silently dwelled on the matter...as if her mind hadn't already been plagued enough with the heavy thoughts of recent events.

"Is that what had been upsetting you?" Leila broke the silence again.

The golden-eyed demiangel slowly shook her head. "...They've found her..."

"...'They'..." The sprite wasn't quite sure what to make of the more-or-less vague statement.

"Demons..." Arella clarified. "They tormented her while I lay dormant in her body. I figured it was an attempt to corrupt her before I emerged, and that they would leave her be once I was gone. I don't know why they've returned."

The sprite was horrified. "Aren't you going to go to her?! As her guardian, you shouldn't even be here right now!"

"What am I supposed to do?!" The angel sat up abruptly, and silken ripples swam violently throughout her white gown as her energy intensified under the pressure of her stress. "It was simple when we were united; I could use my power from within her. Now, she's human, and I'm a celestial. I am unauthorized to physically reveal myself!"

"I'm sure you could figure something out, Arella...you have got to try... _This_ is your _duty_. Use the absence of your wings to your advantage!"

Before the guardian could counter with another argument, a distinctly cherubic pulse overtook her entire being by force. For a brief moment, all she could focus on was the silent, yet mighty demands of her superiors coursing through the very threads of her soul. Leila looked on in wonder as the stunned demiangel seemed to have lost all concept of the world around her and stared blankly ahead at nothing.

The wooden double doors suddenly burst open, and little Faye came flying in with an embossed, golden goblet clutched tightly in both of her hands. "Guardian Arella, I made-" she began to exclaim, but Leila quickly silenced her with a finger pressed firmly against the ginger sprite's lips.

"Not now, Faye."

"But..." the spirited attendant looked down into her sparkling cup at the sweet, crimson beverage she'd just prepared all by herself, "you don't think she'd like some cherry juice? I asked a messenger to get some of that fruit from the Earth specially for this..."

"Faye...she's being summoned."

††††

From upon a high perch in a silent corridor of the Angel's Palace, copper-colored feathers ruffled lightly against pearly counterparts as their blonde owner looked up from her engaging piece of literature to watch a solemn guardian sail passed on her way out, followed closely by a sprite. Short, golden locks then brushed gently about the demiangel's neck as she turned to find a familiar redhead floating up towards her, chalice in hand.

"You didn't give it to her...?" came the tranquil voice of the seventeen year-old messenger demiangel.

Faye issued a brief shake of her head before handing the cup over to the girl. "I'm going to go wait for her outside the sanctuary..."

As the demiangel took the goblet from the sprite, she took note of Faye's expression. It was grave, and eye contact was never established. "So, she's been called by the cherubs. She's hardly had a chance to adjust to her new life..."

"I know," was the little one's reply before she took off back down to join Leila and Arella.

There were no trivial tasks ever issued by a demiangel's commanding celestial. Whatever the cherubim had to dictate would no doubt weigh heavily on the guardian's already troubled mind. The messenger pondered the situation in silence as she brought the cherry beverage up to her own lips and drank.

††††

"Mom...I'm telling you, they're more than just bad dreams," I asserted for the umpteenth time. I sat upon the little wooden table we had in our kitchen which had often been used as a desk during our years of homeschooling. I had been trying to explain my problematic nightmares to my mother as she prepared dinner, but no matter what I did, I couldn't get through to her.

"Have you been watching scary movies at all? What about those anime cartoons? They're pretty bizarre. Or that screaming music Daddy told you not to listen to...what was it called?"

My head slumped into my palms as I mumbled, "...Linkin Park. This has nothing to do with any of that. Why aren't you getting what I'm saying...?"

"What you're saying is pretty severe, Ashleigh. Somehow, I don't think you fully understand what you're implying."

_**No...YOU don't understand. **_

I had long since been aware that no one really understood what was happening to me. I'd tried explaining myself for years, but was always brushed off for some reason or another. Maybe people thought I was just a little kid overreacting... How utterly frustrating. But with Arella gone...I really had no idea what else to do.

"You're judging me..."

"What do you want me to do, Ashleigh?" Mom asked as she pulled a ladle from her potted supper and turned to look at me.

I had no idea. I honestly had not the slightest clue how to fix the problem. All I knew was that I didn't want to face it alone.

"Just...pray that my guardian comes back..." I pushed myself off the table and headed out of the kitchen as she watched in blatant confusion.

††††

Shining gate doors rumbled shut behind Arella as she slowly emerged from the temple. Her breath was heavy, yet her demeanor was calm. Her eyes flashed a pale gold as they focused intently before her. Beads of sweat were riddled about her brow, but her expression was not perplexed. Instead, she looked as though she was steadfast in thought.

Leila and Faye remained where they were at the base of the steps, simply staring up at the guardian in silence. They knew there was nothing to be said. No demiangel typically shared what it was they had been told in the sanctuary. And the experience was always mortifying. It took a fair while to recover from the overwhelmingly powerful presence of a pure, celestial being. Therefore, the two sprites were content in merely being there for their companion in the event she required support.

But then...the brunette opened her mouth and revealed the unexpected, "It was about _her_..."

Faye's eyes widened while Leila maintained her composure. That hadn't been the first time Arella had shared her orders. But the cool-headed attendant silently wondered why the angel held seemingly little regard for what was supposed to remain private.

"What will you do?" asked a feminine, yet ardent voice which Faye instantly recognized.

Turning, the three who were there laid eyes on a messenger demiangel as she emerged from the dimness of the wooded chamber. A magnificent pair of old, yet powerful copper and pearl wings trailed in her wake as she moved closer to the guardian atop the terrace.

"Meilene..." the golden-eyed celestial mused in a low, reminiscent tone.

"It has been quite some time," the other acknowledged, placing a foot on the first stair before coming to a halt. She stared up at the guardian through bright, aqua-colored eyes filled with silent, yet powerful resolve. Arella couldn't figure out if those eyes had been green or blue before the messenger's Celestial Seed had blossomed. Why she was even considering such a thing right then was an even greater mystery.

"What do you want...?"

"A little respect, for starters. I understand your frustration, but there's no need for the attitude I'm getting from you right now."

Young though she appeared, Meilene had been a demiangel for far longer than even Arella, and she demanded her share of reverence as a senior demiangel. But she was not unkind. In fact, the news bearer was one of the more merciful among the older half angels. Arella knew this...and perhaps that's why she took advantage of it just then.

"If you'll excuse me...I need to meditate." Arella then headed down the stone stairway, tearing her gaze from her blonde acquaintance.

"What you need is companionship, Arella," Meilene asserted, moving to follow. As the guardian passed by the sprites, they turned silently in pursuit while the messenger persisted. "You're in over your head. You've recently been resurrected...a miracle nearly unheard of in our realm, and I can see dealing with it hasn't been easy for you. Your mission has yet to unfold as planned, and your mind is in shreds over your host, your past love affair, and even Salem. Are you going to deny that you require council? You're no longer just a guardian anymore, Arella, you're a soldier. It's going to take more than meditation to get you through this!"

The brunette stopped short just before she lifted off the ocean floor. Her brow twitched in heightened vexation as Meilene's words penetrated her mind.

A sudden thought from my erased past flitted through her already plagued mind,

"_...__in this body, you will no longer be just a guardian. This is the vessel of a warrior._"

Arella's upper body flinched as an acute headache abruptly exploded throughout her cranium. A hand flew up to cradle her forehead as she deeply breathed in through her mouth. She slowly turned to the blonde demiangel with accusation written all over her pained expression.

"Anything _else_ you'd like to remind me of...?" she seethed with stinging moisture bordering her line of vision.

Before Meilene could respond, the guardian fell to her knees as a burning fever split straight through her composure. The sprites sprang to her assistance, but could not match the speed of the other demiangel.

Arella pushed at the messenger who attempted to support her. "Don't touch me!"

"This is more than a headache, Arella, I know you can sense it," came the firm response. "Your human half is faltering. Don't you dare make me call for help!"

As a guardian, Arella's power already trumped Meilene's. Her new abilities as a soldier put her on an even higher level. But she knew if the messenger sent for back-up, it'd only be a matter of time before she was subdued...especially in that state.

Following one last grunt of protest, Arella finally allowed herself to succumb to Meilene's persistent demands.

††††

Another night shrouded my home in darkness, but it was far from any night I'd ever experienced before. The toothbrush hung loosely from my mouth as I leaned heavily against the sink and stared at the draining water...silent and still.

My breath was short as I stood there in the quiet confines of the tile-covered bathroom. Something was just...off. My heart felt like it was being squeezed as subtle chills of threat crept up through my whole being.

Slowly, I removed the toothbrush from my lips and spat into the ceramic basin one last time before setting the object on the ledge. I reached for the paper cup on the opposite side and lifted my head to the overhanging mirror.

_**What the hell is-**_

I didn't even have time to freeze.

I saw the darkness in the reflection before the lightbulb exploded. I threw myself into the hall as the swarm of black cloud launched itself forward. The house was nearly pitch black, but the being in my wake was darker still.

The nightmares had breached their boundaries, and my life was officially in danger.

As it flew out of the bathroom, I kicked at the ground and rammed myself backward into the metal railings overlooking the stairs. I wanted to ask what it wanted, but was too frightened to speak. My head was spinning so fast that I was seeing stars and nearly losing consciousness within seconds of the attack.

As I scrambled down the hallway on my hands and knees, a thud was heard in my mother's room. She came running out with a flashlight screaming at me to get up. Her flashlight was forcefully blown out of her hand before I got to my feet and plowed into her, frantically grasping at her shirt in a fit of terror.

I turned around to find the demon clinging to the corner of the window over the staircase. The moonlight traced its undefined contours in unnatural fashion...I watched the morphing of its form, and my skin began burning with the poison of dark power emitting from its very presence. It was that same behavior...that same feeling of soul-threatening horror I'd been tortured with all my life.

My mother went to speak the Lord's name, and I instantly clamped her mouth shut with one hand, while the other pushed her onto the wall behind me. I didn't even see when the creature vanished from sight.

The next thing I knew, my mom was screaming bloody murder as my body was hurled into my little brother's closed bedroom door. The wood splintered. I fell limp to the floor until I was hit again into the broken boards which finally shattered inward. Bloodied and shaken, I was plunged into Grayson's room as the nine year-old called for his mother in sheer fright.

She came bounding into the room just as the fallen angel rematerialized and slithered by her. It was after me...and only me.

Something snapped in my mind as I felt a sting as cold as death wrap about my leg and nearly break it. With an adrenalin-driven shove, I forced myself back to my feet despite the odds and lunged for my brother's nightstand. With a devil literally at my heels, I yanked open the drawer and pulled out the Bible resting inside. Another swift movement later, I pushed Mom back onto the bed with her son, and held the sacred book up before me like a shield.

I shut my eyes tightly, and without realizing it, Arella's ancient dialect began spilling from my lips in prayer. I remember feeling my forehead grow warm. To say I was scared just doesn't do the feeling justice. That night messed me up in ways I never thought possible. I'd watched Arella and Adriana get torn to shreds by a fallen Seraph. I'd witnessed the horror before. But nothing prepared me for that moment. Nothing whatsoever.

"...M-Mom, why is she bright...?" I heard a young voice ask.

My breath hitched, and that's when I became aware that I no longer felt the threatening presence. I then heard our mother crying as she held my brother tightly to her on the bed behind me.

The Bible was clutched tightly to my chest as I doubled over and hit the floor with my knees. I was only able to drag myself to the doorway before vomiting onto the hardwood floor. Blood was trailed behind me...oozing from various wood-inflicted gashes across my body. My arm was exposed to reveal the gauze I'd already wrapped around it earlier. I could feel my mother's intent stare on my back...but I couldn't turn to face her.

_**Daddy … Arella … help me …**_

The door frame before me slurred into a spiraling mess within my pulsing vision before I lost consciousness.


End file.
